Walking With a Ghost
by LuckyLadybug
Summary: Post-series, my Pendulum Swings verse. Mako Tsunami appears, hopeful that he's found new leads to his father's whereabouts. When he attempts to follow one up, he disappears. As Yugi, the Big 5, and everyone else tries to find him, they also have to deal with an influx of spirits at their hotel. It's going to be an active Halloween season.
1. Chapter 1

**Yu-Gi-Oh!**

**Walking With a Ghost**

**By Lucky_Ladybug**

**Notes: The characters from the show are not mine. The other characters and the story are mine! This takes place in my post-series **_**Pendulum Swings**_** verse, which redeemed Yami Bakura and the Big Five. It's my Halloween story for 2019. I'm using the dub version of what Mako thinks happened to his father, because it's both more interesting and more "What the heck," as Yami Bakura will demonstrate.**

**Chapter One**

Everything had been relatively peaceful for the last several weeks in Domino City, which was both very rare and exactly what the resident world-savers needed. Yugi and company were able to focus more on school and on fun times hanging out together. Seto and Téa in particular were enjoying spending time together more and more, much to Mokuba's delight. The Big Five were furthering plans for Penguin World. A site had been chosen and construction had begun. But as Fall deepened and Halloween decorating got underway (much to Yami Bakura's pleasure), the cynical ones in the group were certain that something would go wrong sooner or later.

Crump decided that he wanted to focus on the good things happening, at least for the time being. He had settled on Gansley's porch swing to enjoy the early autumn evening. The lower the temperatures dropped, the happier he became. Fall and Winter were the best seasons, as far as he was concerned. He might not be pretending to be a penguin any longer, but he still loved their taste in weather.

"Crump?"

Crump looked up in surprise. Now Nesbitt had decided to come out too, which was a surprise since he usually didn't seek out Crump for a conversation.

"What's up, Pal?" Crump asked.

Nesbitt hesitantly went over and sat down next to him. "I've wondered something for a while. . . . I never had the courage to ask before, but . . . do you resent me?"

"Whaaat?!" Crump stared at him. "Why the heck would I resent you?!"

Nesbitt shifted uncomfortably. "Well . . . you were Lector's friend first, and I didn't even like him, and now I'm always calling him my best friend. . . . It would be logical if you felt I took him away from you, or that I have no right to think of him as my best friend when I didn't like him at first. . . ."

Crump snorted. "That's crazy talk! Lector loves us both and spends time with us equally. And we're all a big family. Heck, I was over the moon when I realized you were coming to like Lector, and he you! You were both my pals, and I hated being stuck in the middle when you didn't like each other!"

Nesbitt started to relax. "I'm glad." He looked away. "These things never occurred to me before, maybe because I was too arrogant or overconfident. . . . But now that I want to be human, it's like . . . all the things I didn't think about have been floating through my mind like a system overload."

"You wanna be human, but you're still talking like a machine," Crump said.

"It's the only thing I know to relate it to," Nesbitt said. "I isolated myself from people to focus solely on my machines. I could tell you every part and piece needed to build a custom computer, but when it comes to how the human body works I'm a novice. The mind is even more confusing."

"Maybe if you think of it like a motherboard for people it'd make more sense to you," Crump said.

"I don't know if I'll ever make sense of human emotions and feelings," Nesbitt said. "I've always struggled with my temper, which I don't understand. And when I started caring so deeply about all of you, I discovered a whole range of emotions I didn't even know I had. I thought maybe I was devoid of those as much as I am of any romantic or sexual feelings."

"Heck, I don't think most people can make sense out of human emotions and feelings," Crump retorted. "I don't get them either, most of the time."

". . . I guess you probably related better to penguins than people," Nesbitt mused. Strange, but he had never thought about that before either—that he and Crump had in common relating to things other than humans.

"Pretty much," Crump said. "The girls rarely liked me, my parents didn't care, and a lot of the guys outright hated me. I was always the odd kid out, the one bullies targeted. Penguins seemed a lot better to me than most people."

"I'm sorry," Nesbitt frowned. "I was a loner, but by choice. Everyone knew I was more than capable of beating up anyone who got in my way, so they mostly steered clear of me."

"Better to be that way on purpose than because everybody hates your guts," Crump said.

"But . . . how did you know Lector was different?" Nesbitt wondered. "You must have been turned off of people and friendship by that time, yet you reached out to Lector and eventually won him over as your friend."

"I dunno how I knew," Crump said honestly. "I'd tried to make friends with people before and it fizzled out, so yeah, you'd think I would've given up. I pretty much had; I was really closed-off when I started at KaibaCorp. But there was just something I liked about Lector, so I tried again. It wasn't easy to break down his walls, but once he knew I wasn't just trying to butter him up he got pretty receptive to me. I finally had my first real buddy."

"And then you tried to reach out to me too," Nesbitt remembered.

"And you were sure a hard nut to crack," Crump said. "But I finally started making progress, and then Gansley and Johnson joined us and it was time to start all over again."

"You really felt that we were all different than the people you'd tried and failed with before?" Nesbitt said.

"Oh yeah. I didn't get it, but I sure felt it anyway," Crump said. "There was something special about each one of you. Lector told me that he felt it too."

"So did I," Nesbitt confessed.

"Of course you did," Crump said, "or you wouldn't have let us in."

"Interesting logic," Nesbitt grunted.

"But accurate. Right?"

Nesbitt had to nod. "You're right."

"The others probably did too," Crump continued.

It was such a strange thought, that they had all experienced such feelings, and yet it made sense, Nesbitt supposed, that if some of them did, they all did.

He turned to look out at the sunset. "Summer's over," he mused.

"Yeah, ain't it great?!" Crump gushed. "Fall and Winter are the best seasons anyway."

"Heh. Some people like Summer better, although I don't care and I know Lector likes Fall," Nesbitt said. "Johnson's probably sad Summer's over. I'm not sure how Gansley feels."

"I think Gansley's more interested in the stock market than in the seasons," Crump smirked.

"Probably." Nesbitt leaned back, letting the swing gently move them. It was definitely nice to just forget all their problems for a while and enjoy a few moments of peace.

xxxx

Yugi was leaning on the counter at the Game Shop, idly looking over the latest newspaper. "Hey, it says Mako Tsunami's been spotted in town," he said in surprise. "He's staying at a hotel near the docks."

"Hmm. I wonder why," Atem mused. "There isn't a local tournament."

"Maybe he's here to visit?" Téa suggested. "It'd be nice to see him and just catch up on things."

"Then he probably would have come by to say Hello before now," Atem said.

"Maybe he thinks he's found a clue to his dad?" Joey suggested.

Yami Bakura grunted in irritation. "The boy is completely delusional. You all realize that, don't you?"

"Hey," Tristan frowned.

"Why is it delusional to believe his dad is alive?" Téa asked, scowling a bit at the former tomb robber.

"Look." Yami Bakura pushed away from the counter and started to count off on his fingers. "The story you told Bakura and me was that a storm came up and the father tied Mako down to protect him. Then when Mako regained consciousness after the storm, he saw the lifeboat missing and 'knew' his father had made it out alive. You all should have spotted the problems with that right away. A storm that fierce could have simply washed the lifeboat away. That is most likely what happened. If we are to believe that the father took the lifeboat and left, there is no way he could be the honorable man Mako remembers. An honorable father would never take the lifeboat and try to save himself while leaving his child behind. Not to mention, refusing to come forward and torturing the boy afterwards?! There is no good reason why he would stay away, especially if he did indeed send Mako the Legendary Fisherman card through the mail. That would mean he was aware of his son's misery and was unwilling to do anything about it. Now, if you don't believe the father is that kind of person, he's dead. That's all there is to it."

A cold silence fell over the group.

". . . I've gotta admit, he actually has a point," Tristan said at last.

"Yeah, but Mako said he felt in his heart that his dad was alive," Joey exclaimed. "You know I'm all for believing in your gut even if logic tells you there's no way it could be true."

"Then what do you think his father is trying to do to him?" Yami Bakura said in irritation.

"I dunno! Maybe he's trying to . . . test him or something? Help him grow stronger?" Joey said helplessly. "I don't know! But I do know I'm not willing to say Mako's delusional. And I'm not willing to say his dad's a creep either."

Yami Bakura grunted. "Believe what you like."

Atem frowned. "It does seem like it would be a very cruel method of testing Mako. I can't see any purpose in it myself."

"Atem, didn't you look for Mako's dad in the afterlife?" Yugi asked.

"No, I didn't, because I assumed he was alive," Atem said.

Téa looked to Bakura, who had been very quiet. "What do you think, Bakura?"

Bakura shifted, looking awkward to be put on the spot. "Well . . . I don't really know," he stammered. "I've never met Mako. . . ."

"The boy idolizes his father and can't accept that the ocean got the better of him. End of story." Yami Bakura walked over to look at the new card packs on the counter.

"So . . . who sent him the card in the mail?" Joey persisted.

"It could have been anyone, perhaps a family friend, perhaps even someone who idolizes Mako as a Duelist," Yami Bakura said.

"And they left it anonymous to make it look like Mako's dad sent it?" Téa gasped. "They'd know Mako would think it was him!"

"Some friend," Tristan scowled.

"They might idiotically think they were doing a good thing, when in reality they would only be making everything worse," Yami Bakura said.

"Well, I think we should go visit Mako," Téa said. "I'd like to say Hi, and maybe we can help him if he's here on his quest."

The bell over the door jingled. "Hello, my friends!"

Everyone jumped a mile.

"Mako!" Yugi exclaimed. "We were just talking about coming to see you!"

"How are ya?" Joey asked.

"I'm just fine," Mako said. "Tell me, do you know a man named Démas Lector?"

Everyone exchanged stunned looks.

"Yeah, he's our friend," Yugi said.

"Could you point me in the direction of his home?" Mako asked. "I have learned that he or someone else in his family may have known my father and may have a clue to his whereabouts."

That practically floored them all.

"Why on Earth would he have known your father?" Yami Bakura blurted. "He and his family are wealthy businesspeople. I highly doubt they would know a humble fisherman."

"In his youth he lived in New Orleans, which is where Mr. Lector is from, I believe," Mako said.

"New Orleans is a big place," Joey said.

"Ah yes, but he lived in a neighborhood that I believe would have placed him in the school that Mr. Lector and his siblings attended," Mako said. "If Mr. Lector has older siblings, they might have even been in some of the same classes with my father."

Joey blinked rapidly in surprise. "Well, there's no harm in asking him!" he said. "He might be at one of his buddies' houses right now, though, so I'll text him and find out." He took out his phone.

"Thank you," Mako said.

xxxx

Nesbitt had finally gone in the house just as the phone rang. It wasn't unusual for the Big Five to answer each other's landline phones, so after two more rings and no one else picking up, he grabbed the receiver. "Hello?"

The last thing he expected was to hear a familiar and frightened voice on the other end. "Mr. Nesbitt?"

"Angelique?" Nesbitt raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing calling here?"

"Well, I was hoping to reach Mr. Lector, but his cellphone is busy and his maid said he was at Mr. Gansley's house," Angelique replied.

"Yeah, he is." Nesbitt sat down at the desk. "We're all here. What's the problem?"

"Well . . . Evangeline doesn't know I'm calling. She'd be upset if she knew; she didn't want to bother any of you. She still thinks it was partially her fault about everything that went wrong when you came out here last time."

Nesbitt grunted. This did not sound encouraging. "You still haven't said what the problem is."

"Evangeline has control of all the family businesses now, as you may remember," Angelique said. "That includes the Tolliver Arms hotel. And . . . strange things have been happening in it, especially the last few weeks."

Nesbitt massaged the bridge of his nose. "Let me guess. It looks like ghostly activity?"

"It could be," Angelique said. "There have been rumors about ghosts in the hotel for decades, but they were never malicious until recently. Several times they've thrown silverware in the kitchen and it's stuck in the wall. People on the top floor say that sometimes, usually late at night, they feel a dark presence and hear maniacal laughter. And a security guard swears that the other night, he went in the basement because he heard what sounded like a party, but when he got there, all the sounds stopped and there was no one alive having a party. I know that's not malicious, but it's more involved than anything that's happened before."

"We're not ghostbusters," Nesbitt said. It came out a bit harsher than he really intended, but he couldn't deny he was aggravated. Lector didn't need this stress, worrying about his younger sister and her friend. And what could they really do?

"I know you're not," Angelique said. "I don't know that you could really do anything, I guess. . . . But I just didn't know what to do. . . . I knew Mr. Lector would want to know. . . ."

"Yeah, he would," Nesbitt said grudgingly. "But what's Evangeline doing about it? Did she get her exorcist out there again?"

"Yes, but he hasn't had much luck," Angelique moaned. "It can take months to really cleanse a place." She shifted. "A nearby building just got demolished and Evangeline thinks the ghosts may be upset to lose their home, so they came here instead. Apparently that kind of thing can happen."

"Well, I can tell Lector about it, but I doubt any of us can do anything," Nesbitt said. "Not even the Pharaoh or Yami Bakura could do anything about the ghosts in your house. You need an expert."

"I know." Angelique sighed. "Thank you for listening, at least. . . . I'd better go. Goodbye."

Nesbitt sat there for a long moment after hanging up. He had just started to feel a little better about things, especially after that relaxing conversation with Crump. Now he was tensing up again. He really hated to tell Lector about this. He was afraid Lector would want to immediately fly out, and he doubted it would do any good. They would probably just get caught up in another bizarre series of events involving uncooperative ghosts. Right now they needed to stay focused on Penguin World. It was a good, solid project that was helping them heal from all the heartache they had been going through for the last several years.

"Nesbitt?"

He started and turned. Lector was coming towards him, cellphone in hand. He looked bewildered.

"Yeah, what is it?" Nesbitt asked.

Lector sat down on the other side of the small table. "I was just talking to a boy named Mako Tsunami. He was asking me about his father."

"Who?" Nesbitt quirked an eyebrow. "Why would you know anything about the guy?"

"I don't know much," Lector admitted, "but I do remember he was in Adele's classes at school. Now Mr. Tsunami wants to fly out to New Orleans to talk to her."

"Good for him," Nesbitt grunted.

Lector frowned at him. "What's wrong, Nesbitt? You seem out of sorts."

"Oh . . ." Nesbitt leaned back. It was so tempting not to tell Lector anything. They really couldn't do anything, so why should he burden Lector with this information right now? Evangeline hadn't wanted him to know.

Still . . . he knew Lector would want to know. If it was one of the others having trouble instead of Evangeline, Nesbitt would tell him even if they couldn't do anything. And Lector loved his little sister dearly. Lector would no doubt learn about the call upon returning home and talking to the maid. One way or another, he would find out anyway, and then he would probably also learn that Nesbitt had known and kept it from him. The very thought of that made Nesbitt's stomach knot up. He wanted Lector to be able to trust him. If Nesbitt lied to him, that might hurt him worse than if Nesbitt admitted to what Angelique had said.

"Angelique called," he finally said. "She and Evangeline are having some more ghost problems."

"I see," Lector frowned. "Evangeline didn't want to tell me, so Angelique took the initiative?"

"That's right," Nesbitt said.

Gansley, Johnson, and Crump were wandering over now. "What's this about Angelique and Evangeline?" Gansley frowned.

"Are we going back to New Orleans?" Johnson looked worried at the thought.

"I hope not," Nesbitt said. He related everything Angelique had said. The others listened, frowning.

At the conclusion, Lector groaned and rubbed his forehead. "While it's true that we probably can't do anything, I hate to just leave my sister high and dry," he said. "I would come if it was any of you, even if I didn't think I could fix the problem. Being there as support is important as well."

"It's illogical," Nesbitt complained.

"So you're saying it's illogical to take comfort from loved ones in a time of crisis?" Gansley grunted.

"No!" Nesbitt retorted. "It's just . . . I don't want any of us to get hurt there again. And . . . I don't want to be used again as the instrument to hurt any of you. . . ."

Lector gave a sad smile and laid a hand on Nesbitt's shoulder. "I know, and I can't blame you for being worried. But for that matter, getting involved in any calamity poses a risk to us. We can't just not ever get involved in anything anymore because we're worried about what might happen to us."

"So we're going?" Nesbitt sighed.

"I feel like I need to check on her," Lector said. "First I'll call and talk to her on the phone, although I'm sure she'll play down the seriousness of it for my sake. If I go, the rest of you don't have to come. But that's a pointless thing to say, isn't it?" He gave a wry smile.

"Yeah, you could say that," Crump shot back. "We wouldn't just let you go off alone!"

"Of course not," Nesbitt growled.

Gansley and Johnson echoed their agreement.

"Alright then." Lector got up. "I will call Evangeline. Maybe I'll call Angelique as well." He walked off down the hall with his phone.

Nesbitt slumped back in the chair. ". . . I considered not telling him about the call," he confessed. "I mean, when we can't really do anything anyway, I hated torturing him with what Angelique said." He hadn't really planned to ever admit it, but somehow he felt comfortable doing so. He wanted his friends to know of his darker thoughts.

Indeed, none of them looked judgmental. Although he wondered if he should be concerned that none of them looked too surprised, either.

"So why did you tell him?" Gansley asked out of curiosity.

"It was a matter of logic," Nesbitt said. "I knew he'd learn of it anyway, and I didn't want him to know I'd lied to him. After all, the whole reason I wouldn't tell him would be because I didn't want to hurt him, but if he knew I lied, he'd be hurt anyway."

Gansley smiled and nodded. "Very true."

"Here's a question, though," Johnson said. "If there wasn't any chance of Lector learning of it, what would you have done then?"

"I don't know," Nesbitt growled. ". . . But I probably still wouldn't have had the heart to do it in the end."

"Yeah," Crump mused, "I don't think you would have."

Nesbitt frowned. "I hope you're right."

"We're right," Gansley calmly replied.

Lector, who had lingered in earshot, smiled a bit as well before disappearing into the study.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: I chose the name Akio for Mako's dad because one of the meanings is "glorious hero," and that certainly fits how Mako sees him!**

**Chapter Two**

Lector settled down at the chair in Gansley's study before calling Evangeline. The phone rang several times before it was picked up, and when it was, Evangeline sounded very harried. "Hello?"

"Hello, Evangeline," Lector said. "How are you? I haven't heard much from you lately."

"Oh . . . Démas." It sounded like Evangeline was starting to smile. "I'm alright. It's just been busy around here. . . . Learning to run a business is hard work."

"It certainly is," Lector said. "But if you have any questions or concerns, I hope you'll come to me about them. I want to know, and I'd like to help."

"You've had so much to deal with lately," Evangeline objected. "All that saving the world, and people targeting you and the others. . . ."

"I would still want to know," Lector said firmly.

Evangeline fell silent, debating with herself.

"Evangeline. . . ." Lector lowered his voice. "I know about your ghost problems."

Evangeline choked. "Angelique told you!" she exclaimed in dismay. "I told her not to call! . . ."

"She was worried too," Lector said. "It was the right decision."

That brought a sigh. "Oh. . . ."

"Now, are you positive the strange goings-on are from ghosts?" Lector asked. "Could it be someone trying to cause trouble for you and making it seem like there are ghosts?"

"I've thought of that," Evangeline admitted. "While I would really like to blame our _dear_ family, I don't think even they would risk damaging the reputation of this hotel just to get at me. And even if they or someone else might be pulling some of the tricks, they couldn't fake the feeling of a dark presence on the top floor."

"I will admit that seems unlikely," Lector acknowledged.

"There's really something here," Evangeline all but whispered. "I don't know what to do. . . ." Raising her voice, she added, "But I do know I don't want any of you coming out here, Démas. For all we know, that's what it wants, just like last time! I won't risk that happening again. I won't!"

"If that's what it wants, it will probably do worse and worse things until we come," Lector said.

"Just give it a little more time," Evangeline begged. "Please? I'm trying to exorcize whatever it is. . . . And I don't want to feel responsible for anything that might happen to you or the others. . . ."

"You wouldn't be responsible," Lector insisted. He sighed. "But if that's what you want, we won't come out . . . at least for now. If things get worse, we're coming."

"Thank you." Relief filled Evangeline's voice.

Now Lector hesitated. "Evangeline . . . are you having trouble with everyone in the family?"

"Well . . . little Gabriel's still sweet," Evangeline said. "I'm afraid my relationship with Adele has been strained, though. . . . But it's better than what's happening with any of the other family members. . . . Adele may just be acting nicer for Gabriel's sake, but it's something."

"I suppose," Lector said, and frowned. He would rather not have a relationship at all with someone who was just holding back their real feelings and pretending to feel differently than they did.

"By the way," he continued now, "I was just talking to a boy, Mako Tsunami, who's looking for information on his father, Akio. Apparently his father went to school with Adele, so he's coming out there to talk to her."

"Oh really?" Evangeline sounded thoughtful. "Akio Tsunami. . . . I think I remember Adele talking about him now and then. He was an exchange student. His big dream was to be a fisherman out in the ocean, so after school he went back to Japan, where he was born. I thought he died in a shipwreck. . . ."

"Apparently his son still believes he's alive," Lector said. "I don't quite understand it; maybe the poor boy is just wishing hopelessly for something that isn't true. In any case, I'm sure Adele won't know anything about where he is now, if he actually is alive."

"That's sad," Evangeline said. "It would be awful to lose a loved one and keep believing they would still come back to you. . . ."

Lector didn't want to think about it, especially since he almost had lost many of his loved ones on multiple occasions. "Well, I just thought I'd let you know," he said. "If Mr. Tsunami decides to stay over for a while, he may want to register at your hotel."

"Thank you for letting me know," Evangeline said. "He might not want to register when he hears about everything that's been happening. . . ."

"I feel like he's the kind of person who wouldn't be scared away by ghost stories," Lector said.

"Well, good for him," Evangeline sighed. "But with our luck, it may be a reason to be scared away."

"I thought we figured the ghosts in your house aren't malevolent," Lector said in surprise.

"Oh yes, they don't seem to be," Evangeline said. "But Gozaburo intruded last time and caused all that trouble, and it could be something similar now. . . ."

"I hope Gozaburo can't break free so easily," Lector frowned. "We all put our seals on him."

"I know. Well, it could be someone else just as bad. I wish we could know." Evangeline paused, then rushed on, "But I still don't want you to put yourselves in danger by coming out!"

"We won't come yet," Lector promised. "But if we need to, we will."

They soon said Goodbye and hung up. Lector leaned back in the chair, staring across the room at the opposite wall. Mako had taken him completely by surprise on the phone, asking about his father and sounding so sincere in believing that he was still alive. Lector couldn't really believe it could be true, but asking why Mako thought the man had survived the storm hadn't changed his mind any. Mako had said that many people had asked him that question, and that aside from the lifeboat being missing, he knew his father was alive because he felt it in his heart.

There wasn't really any argument Lector could give for something like that. Nesbitt might have continued to argue about it in utter disbelief, but Lector knew the power of the heart and intuition. He had felt things in his heart on many occasions, and when he listened, it tended to prove itself correct. If one of his loved ones was missing and he felt that they were alive, he would cling to that hope—although at the same time he would worry whether he was delusional. He wouldn't completely accept it without question.

He got up with a sigh and headed for the door. He should let the others know that they weren't going to New Orleans just yet . . . although he really wouldn't be surprised in the least if that would be in their future.

xxxx

Yugi was idly shuffling some new card packs in his hands as his thoughts wandered. He was supposed to be setting them up on display in the Game Shop, but it was hard to concentrate.

"Yugi?"

He started, the cards falling from his hands to the counter as Atem spoke. "Oh. . . . Yeah?"

Atem was leaning on the other side of the counter. His display was already finished. "You're still thinking about Mako, aren't you?"

Yugi sighed and looked down with a nod. "And about what Yami Bakura said. . . . I can't believe I never thought about any of that before. . . . I guess we were all so taken with Mako's devotion to his dad that we just believed him."

"So did I," Atem pointed out. "But I don't think there's any need to stop believing him."

"Yeah, but . . ." Yugi frowned. "What Yami Bakura said made sense. . . ."

"It does, but he's not taking into account that there could be other reasons why Mako hasn't heard from his father," Atem said. "What if he's laying hurt in a hospital somewhere? If he didn't have any identification on him, they wouldn't know whom to contact."

"That wouldn't explain the card, though," Yugi said.

"Maybe it really was sent by a family friend," Atem suggested. "Maybe the friend also believes he's alive, but has no real proof."

"It's nice to think about anyway," Yugi said. He finally placed the card packs in his display box. "But . . . what if Yami Bakura is right? What if there isn't any hope and someday Mako finds out? It would crush him! I . . . I'm not even sure he could recover from a blow like that. . . . He's so determined. . . ."

Atem sighed. "It's a legitimate worry," he admitted. "I know it would be devastating for Mako. But I do believe eventually he would be able to pull himself together."

"I hope so," Yugi said. He stared out the window. "Mako's already set off for New Orleans. . . . I wonder if we should have gone with him. . . ."

"He's been doing his search alone for years," Atem said. "I wouldn't imagine he'll stay in New Orleans longer than it takes to talk to Adele, unless he finds another lead."

"It'd be nice to see Evangeline and Angelique again," Yugi said. "But it _would_ be hard to pack up and go right away. . . . I sure would if they or Mako needed us, though."

"I know," Atem smiled.

Yugi's phone dinged and he looked down at it. "It's from Rebecca," he said in a bit of surprise. Usually Rebecca preferred to communicate with long emails rather than short texts.

"What does she say?" Atem asked.

"She wonders if we could come out and visit soon," Yugi said. "They've gotten settled into their new house."

"I guess we'll have to see," Atem said.

Yugi nodded. "I want to go see her, but right now probably isn't a good time . . . especially when we might need to run off to New Orleans. . . ."

"What are you going to tell her?" Atem asked.

"I think I'll say that we might need to help another friend first, but then we'd be happy to come out," Yugi said as he picked up his phone.

xxxx

Bakura watched as Yami Bakura pushed a fake tombstone into the front lawn. "Isn't this a little demented, considering the discussion we were just having?" he said.

Yami Bakura grunted. "What does one thing have to do with the other? Now, if I decided to carve a tombstone with Mako's father's name on it . . ."

"Yami!" Bakura exclaimed in horror.

"No, I wouldn't do it," Yami Bakura growled in irritation. "I'm only saying I see no reason why I can't enjoy decorating for Halloween just because that boy is so determined to believe his dead father is alive."

Bakura sighed and leaned against a tree with an elbow. The sight of a skeletal hand hanging in front of his face made him yelp and jump a mile. He had forgotten Yami Bakura had placed a fake skeleton on a tree branch.

Yami Bakura looked up and laughed. "That was perfect!"

Bakura held a hand to his heart and stepped away. Yami Bakura was obsessed with Halloween—understandably, since he still had a very twisted and macabre sense of humor. Bakura enjoyed the holiday too, for that matter, and he even enjoyed a harmless tease. But he wasn't terribly crazy about falling into one of Yami Bakura's spooky set-ups.

"I suppose you'll be wanting to host a Halloween party safe for children again," Yami Bakura remarked.

"Something like that," Bakura said. "I think last year's party went over very well with that angle. And this year we're all friends with the Big Five, so it won't be awkward like when I invited them to last year's Halloween party."

"I still don't know why you invited them that time," Yami Bakura said. "They had just barely returned to their bodies a couple of weeks before that and the relationship between them and everyone else wasn't good."

"I guess I just thought it would be a nice gesture that might help them on their quest to turn their lives around," Bakura said. "It _was_ awkward, I must admit, but I don't regret it. And I'm looking forward to the party with all of us being friends this year." He smiled.

"I'm sure you are," Yami Bakura grunted.

xxxx

Mako's plane landed in New Orleans without incident. Armed with an address, he took a cab to Adele's house and knocked on the door.

A small dark-skinned Creole boy soon answered. "Hello," he said, looking up at Mako. "Who are you?"

"I am Mako Tsunami, son of Akio Tsunami," Mako greeted with a hand on his chest. "I was told that your mother might have known him years ago?"

"I don't know." The boy looked over his shoulder. "Mom?"

In a moment a harried woman stepped out of another room. "I'm really busy today, Mr. . . . who did you say you are again?" She wiped her hands on her apron.

"Mako Tsunami," Mako said. "I'm sorry to intrude. I should have called first."

The woman's eyes widened. "Tsunami. . . . Then you're Akio's son."

"Yes, that is right," Mako said. "I'm looking for any possible leads to his whereabouts. I know he didn't die in that shipwreck!"

"Well, I can't help you," she said. "He was only here for a year, and I haven't seen him since high school ended and he went back to Japan."

"I see," Mako sighed. "Do you know of anyone who might know something more?"

She paused, thinking. "I think some of my classmates kept in touch with him after he left. You might try Antoine Isidore and Eugene Martin."

Mako bowed. "Thank you so very much! I will try them at once. Are they both listed in the telephone directory?"

"As far as I know," she said. "I haven't really kept in touch with them myself." She gave a small smile. "I was always sad about Akio's death. And sad for you, being left alone. I hope you can find him. He was a good man."

"Yes, he was." Mako turned and headed for the door. "I will let you know of my success. Farewell for now!"

She watched him leave. "I wonder how he learned about me," she said aloud. "Did his father talk about me? . . . Oh well. Not that it matters anyway." She turned away. "Come on, Gabriel. I need your help with dinner."

Gabriel went agreeably. "Okay, Mom."

xxxx

The two men were listed in the directory, and with the cab driver's help Mako soon found Eugene Martin's home. The yard looked far less inviting than Adele's home, with mostly tall, brown grass and overturned plastic tricycles and children's pedal cars scattered among the blades. Mako tried to ignore the mess as he went up to the dilapidated porch—side-stepping a gaping hole in the steps along the way. The wooden door was open, leaving only a screen door as a barrier between the house and any insects. Mako rapped on the metal edge above the screen.

In a moment a man in baggy pants and a torn tank top appeared, beer bottle in hand. "Yeah? What do you want?"

Mako put on his best smile. "Hello! I am Mako Tsunami, son of Akio Tsunami. Are you Eugene Martin?"

"That's right," the man grunted and nodded.

"Good! I am looking for any information you can give me on where Akio might be right now," Mako explained.

The man snorted. "In that big ocean in the sky. Are you crazy, kid? You were there when he bit the big one!"

Mako's eyes flashed. "How dare you speak so disrespectfully of my father! Especially when you were his friend!"

Eugene was unimpressed. "I just tell it like it is. Do I like that he's dead? No, of course not. That was part of what drove me to drink. But denying it ain't gonna help nothing either."

Mako frowned. "So you haven't heard from him since the shipwreck?"

"Nope, and you'd better wise up and realize that if he really did survive and didn't even try to reach out to you, he obviously don't want anything more to do with you," Eugene said. "It sounds like he abandoned you."

"That isn't true!" Mako shot back. "I know there has to be a good reason for him not coming forward! Perhaps he was so badly injured he could not travel and he was too ashamed to tell me the truth!"

"Then you should be checkin' hospitals, kid," Eugene said. He threw back his head and took a swig of his beer.

Mako's frown deepened. He had checked so many through the years, some repeatedly. Some had grown quite tired of seeing him.

"Very well," he said as he turned away. "If you cannot or will not help me, then I must go somewhere else to seek assistance."

"Good luck," Eugene chortled.

Mako marched back down the walkway to the cab with clenched fists. He had certainly been insulted and ridiculed many times through the years, but never by someone who had actually known his father. That made it so much worse.

The cab driver looked over as he got in. "Do you still want to go to that other address?"

"Yes, please," Mako said with a curt nod. "Hopefully Antoine Isidore will be more hospitable and respectful towards my father."

Antoine's house was in a far better neighborhood, but somehow, despite the well-kempt lawn and mansion-sized house, something felt wrong to Mako as soon as he saw it. He had to go up, but the knots in his stomach only tightened when he opened the cab door and started to step out.

Even the cab driver seemed to feel something. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Of course," Mako said. "I'll be on the porch. I won't be long."

He walked up to the porch and knocked. In a moment the door opened, and the person who stood there looked anything but friendly. He stared at Mako with deadened eyes that bored through the storm door into his very soul.

Mako was horrified. "Ex-excuse me," he stammered. "Are you Antoine Isidore?"

The man silently opened the storm door.

"I'm looking for information on Akio Tsunami," Mako continued, too shaken to even introduce himself.

Without warning the man reached out and snatched Mako's clothing, pulling him inside with an almost inhuman force. Both the storm door and the wooden door slammed shut.

When a horrific scream reached the cab driver's ears, he drove away in terror.

xxxx

Téa was having dinner with Seto and Mokuba when all three of their phones dinged with incoming texts at once.

Mokuba was the first to pull his out. "Oh no!" he gasped. "This is Angelique! She says Mako Tsunami made a reservation at the Tolliver Arms hotel, but he never showed up even though his luggage did! He went to see Adele and no one's heard from him since then!"

Téa stared. "We really should have gone with him!" she moaned in horror.

"Who would know something like that would happen?" Seto grunted. "He's been searching for his father for years without anything going wrong."

"Well, obviously we have to go after him now," Téa said. "I just hope it's not too late!"

Already texts were coming in from the others, vowing to pack and be ready to leave as soon as Seto could have a private jet ready. That only made Seto scowl all the more. "They're taking advantage of me, you know," he said to Téa.

"They don't mean to," she frowned. "It's just that . . . well, we don't really have the money to fly around the world all the time, but they know you do. Anyway . . ." She smiled a bit. "You realize they all figure you're coming, right? They're including you, not trying to take advantage of you!"

"I never said I was coming," Seto said. "I don't even know Mako Tsunami."

Mokuba looked up at him. "But we _are_ going to help, aren't we, Seto?!"

Seto heaved a sigh. "Yeah, we'll help. I'll get everyone set up with a private plane." He started dialing Roland. "But that doesn't mean we're going with them. I don't like the thought of deliberately taking you into possible danger, Mokuba."

"There's danger around here all the time," Mokuba pointed out.

"That we get caught up in without trying to," Seto retorted. "We don't go out to find it. . . . Roland? I need a plane ready to fly to New Orleans within a couple of hours. Yeah, everyone's going—Yugi's group and the Big Five too."

Téa just smiled as she watched him. Seto would be coming. Even if he didn't think so yet, she was sure of it.

She looked back down at her phone as more messages came through. She just hoped that somehow, they were all worrying unnecessarily and Mako was really alright.

The ache in her heart told her otherwise.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It was indeed within the hour that everyone—including Seto and Mokuba—got on the private jet. All were very tense and worried, wondering what could have happened to Mako. Some tried to lighten the concerns, while others couldn't bring themselves to even try.

"I'll bet when we get there, that kid will be back at the hotel like nothing happened," Crump said. "He probably just got caught up following the leads Adele gave him and lost track of time."

"Adele only gave him two names," Lector said. "Evangeline called and talked to her. Then Adele tried to contact her old classmates. One of them, Eugene Martin, said Mako had been there and left hours ago. The other man, Antoine Isidore, didn't answer his phone. Adele couldn't leave the house to go out to his house, so Evangeline ended up calling the police. They went out to the house but it didn't look like Mr. Isidore was home. The last I heard, they were trying to find the cab driver who was taking Mr. Tsunami around town. He's disappeared."

Téa stared. "You don't think he's . . . kidnapped Mako, do you?!"

"I don't know," Lector sighed.

"So what about this Isidore whosits?" Joey asked. "You know anything about him?"

"Not much," Lector said. "I remember he was heavily into the occult in school and Adele was forbidden to have anything to do with him."

"Oh, well, that's just peachy," Tristan scowled.

"So . . . what if Mako isn't back when we get there?" Mokuba worried. "Where do we go?"

"I say we should check out that guy's house in case the police missed something," Tristan said.

"That's our best bet," Seto grunted in agreement.

The flight proceeded without incident. When they landed, Lector quickly texted Evangeline at the airport so they would know where to go next.

"Well?" Nesbitt asked.

Lector shook his head. "Mr. Tsunami still isn't there."

Joey's eyes narrowed. "Then it's off to the Isidore place! And if he's done anything with Mako, he had just better look out!" He slammed his fist into his palm.

"I don't want Mokuba coming," Seto insisted. "Marik, you stay at the hotel with him."

"But Seto . . . !" Mokuba protested.

"He's right," Marik said. "It will be better if we stay."

"We will stay as well," Ishizu spoke up, indicating herself and Rishid. "In case the spirits at the hotel try to cause trouble, it would be better to have a larger group there."

Seto wasn't about to argue with that. The more protection for Mokuba, the better.

"What about you guys?" Joey asked, looking to the Big Five. "I'm guessing you really came out here for Evangeline's mystery."

They exchanged grim looks.

"We did to some extent," Gansley said, "but if that boy really disappeared at that house, we thought maybe there should be some more adults supervising your investigation."

Johnson nodded. "We'll try to help Evangeline too, but first we thought we'd go with you to that house."

Yugi smiled. "Thanks, guys. I'm sure we can use your help."

"Seto . . . Lector . . . everyone. . . ." Mokuba looked up plaintively at them. "Please be careful. . . ."

"We will certainly try," Lector promised.

Seto nodded. "This shouldn't take long. We'll keep in touch with our phones."

"And Serenity, I want you staying at the hotel too," Joey insisted. "If that guy's some kinda kidnapper, there's no way I want you anywhere near him!"

"Well, I don't want you going either!" Serenity exclaimed.

"You know, we could work on Evangeline's mystery for now," Duke said to her.

Serenity sighed. "I guess that's true, but I'm so worried about Joey and everyone who's going out to that house. . . ."

"It's a big enough group without us going along too," Duke said, drawing an arm around her shoulders. He didn't believe in sheltering Serenity, but he also didn't believe in doing stupid or dangerous things on purpose if they didn't have to be done. As far as he was concerned, it was better for Serenity to stay at the hotel. This whole incident was very strange.

Finally Serenity nodded. "Okay."

Joey relaxed. "Good. Now just be careful, you hear?! We don't know what the ghosts in the hotel are up to!"

David cringed. "I'd be happy not to find out."

Tristan turned away with a scowl. No matter how much time went by, he still wanted to believe that he had a chance with Serenity too. She was much too young to really get serious with Duke, and they had both been good about not doing that. But Serenity still saw Tristan as a second brother. Part of him wished he could stay back with this group, but he knew his fighting skills might be needed at the house.

"Alright," he said through clenched teeth. "We'd better go."

Everyone agreed.

xxxx

No one knew what to expect from the Antoine Isidore home. It was a surprise when the address led them into one of the ritzy neighborhoods, down a long street lined with maple and willow trees. That was eerie enough at night. But it wasn't encouraging when at last they pulled up in front of the fancy mansion and the foreboding feeling was almost overpowering.

Joey quaked. "What is this?!"

"If I had to guess, I would say that he's still dabbling in the occult," Yami Bakura replied in a matter-of-fact, bored tone.

"So it's not bad enough there's ghosts at our hotel—they're here too?!" Joey wailed.

"I don't know what's in there," Yami Bakura said. "It could be ghosts, or it could be something worse."

"Worse?!" Joey wailed. "What could be worse?!"

"Let's go in and find out," Tristan said in determination. "We can't leave Mako to deal with whatever it is all by himself."

"Of course not." Yugi steeled himself and opened the car door. "Let's go, everyone."

The group gathered together and headed up the walkway, staying alert for anything that might be going wrong in the yard. It was more than a little unsettling, how still everything was. Even the trees' branches barely seemed to move, despite the fact that farther down the road, the trees were waving in the wind. On this patch of ground, the outside world seemed not to matter.

"Why the heck would Mako ever try to talk to somebody living here?!" Joey finally cried.

"If he thought he was going to learn something about his father, nothing could keep him away," Atem pointed out.

"Poor Mako," Téa whispered.

They reached the porch and Yugi knocked on the door. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

At first there was no response. But then without warning, the wooden door creaked open, revealing the darkened entryway.

"Mako?" Yugi opened the storm door and leaned in. "Are you here?"

"Yugi, be careful!" Atem exclaimed.

What felt like a tangible force suddenly reached and grabbed Yugi's shirt, pulling him inside and to the floor. He yelped in shock.

Everyone else ran in around him.

"Alright, who did that?!" Joey demanded, clenching a shaking fist.

The wooden door swung shut behind them. It sounded like a bang of finality when it closed.

Nesbitt whirled to stare at it. "What the . . . ?!" He clutched the doorknob with both hands, desperately rattling it. It did no good; the door remained firmly stuck.

"We're trapped?!" Mai cried in horror.

Atem and Joey were helping Yugi to his feet. "It certainly looks that way," Atem said grimly. "I don't know what's going on in this house, but I only feel great evil."

Yami Bakura growled. From his expression, he felt it too.

"You think this is what happened to Mako?!" Téa exclaimed.

"It's certainly a possibility," Atem said. "We must find him! And the only way we can try to do that right now is to search this house."

Lector took out his phone. "No Service," he said in frustration.

"Are you serious?!" Joey boomed. "Why wouldn't there be service?! It's the middle of the city!"

All the lights around them suddenly came on, bathing the rooms in their bright glows.

". . . This is actually a nice room," Mai said in some surprise. "There's a large windowseat over there to the left, and to the right it looks like a living room with a television nook."

"And out the window you can see some kind of treehouse in that big dead tree in the yard," Téa noted.

"Why does it have to be dead?!" Joey moaned.

"Let's just start walking and calling for Mako," Yugi said. "It's really weird that no one seems to be home, especially when the door just opened like that. They're probably all still here, somewhere." He stood in the doorway of the living room and looked through it to make sure they hadn't missed anything. It didn't seem to be connected to any other rooms, so he swiftly backed out and started down the hallway stretching from the entrance. "Hello?" he called. "Mako? Mr. Isidore?"

The others slowly fell into step around and behind him, nervously looking about for any sign of Mako or the house's residents. The hallway soon opened into a large combination dining area and kitchen. The oval table had glasses and plates at several place settings, left over from the last meal. Only a few scattered crumbs on the plates and small portions of water in the glasses remained. On the wall facing the table, a mounted television was loudly blaring a news program.

"Oh, this isn't creepy at all," Joey scowled. "Where the heck is everybody?!"

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Atem said.

"I haven't had a good feeling since we stepped out of the car," Téa retorted. "Where could Mako be?!"

"He might not be here at all," Nesbitt grunted. "There's still the cab driver to think about."

"But meanwhile, we'll have to look here," Atem said. "And we should stick together."

No one disagreed.

xxxx

Evangeline and Angelique were both in the Tolliver Arms' lobby when Duke's group arrived. Both girls looked worried, and when they saw only some of the group was coming in, they weren't sure whether to relax at all or not.

"Where's Démas?" Evangeline greeted in concern.

"He went with the rest of our friends and family to look for Mako at that house," Serenity explained. The worry in her eyes was obvious.

Angelique tried to smile. "I'm sure they'll be okay. Mako might not even be at that house."

"I hope not," Mokuba said softly.

Marik smiled at him. "Well, while we're here, we thought we'd try to help you with your problem," he said to Evangeline. "Have you had any more ghostly manifestations?"

"The top floor is completely vacant because no one will stay up there now," Evangeline sighed. "Yes, several more people reported the horrible feeling and the maniacal laughter, and they either fled altogether or demanded rooms on other floors."

David cringed. "That does _not_ sound encouraging."

"It sure doesn't," Mokuba frowned. "I wonder if it's Yami Marik. . . ."

"_Yami _Marik?" Evangeline repeated.

Marik heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe we can explain later. For now, let's go up there and see what's happening." He looked to Mokuba. "But you should stay here, my friend. You know your brother would be furious if I allowed you to go up there."

"Yeah, I guess," Mokuba scowled. "But . . . I want to help. . . ."

". . . You can come with me to look at the restaurant," Angelique offered. "Strange things happen in there too, but nothing as outrageous or potentially dangerous."

Mokuba blinked. "Yeah? What happens there?"

"Sometimes the jukebox turns on by itself or a table starts to lift off the floor," Angelique replied.

"Really?!" Mokuba stared with wide eyes now.

Angelique nodded. "Really. Let's go see, shall we?"

Mokuba nodded too. "Sure, if this isn't just a put-on to get me distracted from going up there. . . ."

"I promise it's not," Angelique said.

"Well . . . okay then." Mokuba looked back to the others. "You guys be careful. . . ."

"We will be," Marik smiled.

Evangeline sighed as Angelique and Mokuba left. "Unfortunately, that really is true. I'll have the bellboys take your luggage to your rooms, and then if you really want to see the top floor, you can."

"Thank you," Ishizu said.

The elevator ride to the top floor was tense. Aside from Evangeline, no one knew what to expect. They partially found themselves wishing that it would be Yami Marik. At least dealing with him was something familiar.

The doors opened, letting in a burst of cold air from the now-vacant floor.

Evangeline was alarmed. "That didn't happen before!" she gasped.

"Isn't that a common sign of spirits?" David gulped.

Evangeline ran out onto the carpet, followed by everyone else. "Whatever is up here must be getting a stronger hold!" she cried. "Maybe it was worse for people to leave. Then there was nothing to hold it back!"

Marik shivered as he stood in the hall and looked around. He couldn't see any indication of who or what was behind this. All he knew for sure was that the cold felt dark and evil . . . and unfamiliar. He was sure it wasn't Yami Marik.

"This building that was demolished," he said slowly. "What kind of building was it?"

"Just an old vacant place," Evangeline said. "It served as several different things through the years, but it wasn't anything known for having ghosts, like an asylum or a prison or even a hospital. I thought it was mainly an old office building. But any kind of building can have ghosts, really; it doesn't always have to be a certain kind."

"Do you know it did have ghosts?" Ishizu asked.

Evangeline sighed and gave a weak smile. "Sometimes it seems like it's unusual for there to be a place in New Orleans without at least one ghost. And it just seemed an odd coincidence, that the building was destroyed and we started having these new ghost problems right at the same time."

"That does seem suspicious," Rishid agreed.

"I don't really see that there's anything we can do about this problem," David said. "We're not ghostbusters. But you don't know how much I wish the Ghostbusters were real right now."

Duke twirled a piece of hair around his finger. "I'm sure we all do. I'm at a loss too. There's no area where it seems to be stronger than any other?"

"It seemed to be in the hall more than the rooms, but now that it seems to be getting stronger, who knows!" Evangeline moaned. She went over to the nearest room and unlocked it. Cold air whooshed out, blowing her hair in all directions.

"That was weird," Serenity said.

"It certainly was!" Angry now, Evangeline stormed into the room. "I've never heard of a spirit causing air that strong to blow out! That must have been man-made!"

"But what about the creepy feeling?!" Serenity said in surprise.

"I think there's two different things going on now," Evangeline said. "First something supernatural started happening. Then somebody decided to take advantage of that!" She looked around, eyes flashing.

"Alternately, what if a ghost decided to turn on the air conditioning or a fan right as you opened the door?" David suggested.

". . . I guess that could be possible," Evangeline admitted. "There is an air conditioning vent right near the door."

"If the ghosts really came from that other building, though, why are they making such a fuss?" Serenity wondered. "I mean, it's not your fault the building was demolished!"

"Oh, they probably just want someone, anyone, to blame for their problems," Evangeline said in disgust. "Most people do."

Serenity bit her lip. Evangeline's continuing bitterness over her family blaming Lector for everything that went wrong was both obvious and understandable. But it still made Serenity sad when she remembered the cheery girl Evangeline had been when they had arrived in New Orleans for the first time during the Winter. Evangeline had changed so much since then.

Marik sighed. "I admit, I'm not sure what we can do here either," he said. "Maybe the Pharaoh or Yami Bakura should have stayed back to go over this with us."

"Well, they didn't have much luck at the house last time," Evangeline said. "At this point, I'm about ready to just give up, throw in the towel, and forget about ghosts and New Orleans and everything else." She finished going over the living room and confirmed that no one living was in there. "But I don't want to give my family that satisfaction."

"You're _sure_ that none of them would cause this to try to push you out?" Duke asked. "I know your mom wasn't happy about the board of directors choosing you over her."

"I just don't think they'd want to risk the reputation of the family businesses," Evangeline said, "but maybe you're right. Maybe I'm even more hated than I realize." She frowned. "Marie might even try to use corrupted _vodun_ to hurt me. Maybe she drove the ghosts here!" She turned and stormed out of the room. "And maybe I'll just go confront them all and ask!"

"I hope you won't regret putting these ideas in her head, Dukey-Boy," David whispered to his friend as they followed.

"I hope I won't either," Duke replied, "but just maybe I'm right."

"Poor Evangeline," Serenity said softly. "That would be horrible."

Marik took out his phone. "No messages from anyone in the other group yet. . . ." He quickly typed one to Seto.

"I hope they're having good luck," Serenity said.

Marik frowned as the screen remained still. Why wasn't Seto answering?

"I hope so too," he said at last.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes: I can't remember now whether it's **_**Lead Me Through the Fire **_**or **_**Close Your Eyes, Clear Your Heart**_**, but one of them talks a bit in an early chapter about how Serenity ended up choosing Duke. Also, Angelique is based on the character Angelique in **_**The Wild Wild West **_**episode **_**The Night of the Diva **_**(hence how I ended up deciding this Angelique is a relation instead of just being based on her), and this story is going to feature a mystery in the present-day largely inspired by that episode.**

**Chapter Four**

Nesbitt was tense as they wandered through the large kitchen. The steps leading to the second floor were at the back of the room and off to the side, and several members of their party were already curiously and worriedly heading towards them.

"Shouldn't we finish looking at the floor we're on first?" Téa wondered.

"Let's just look everywhere in no particular order," Tristan said. "If anyone was down here, you'd think they would have heard us calling by now."

"Unless they're not capable of hearing," Seto flatly pointed out.

Nesbitt wasn't sure what to think. All he knew for sure was that he didn't like being here. It definitely didn't feel right. It was strange to realize he was paying attention to feelings like that; in the past he would have scoffed. But even just looking at cold, hard logic, it was obvious something was wrong.

"I have a question," he said at last. "Who turned on the lights, and why didn't they want to be seen?"

"There are probably multiple answers to that question, none of them pleasant," Gansley intoned.

Lector had started to walk over near the stairs. Suddenly it felt like he had plunged into an icy patch of air. He froze, staring at the area. Nothing was visible, but he knew it wasn't his imagination.

He knew it even more when cold fingers played across his back. _"Démas Lector. . . . Interesting. You're going to make the perfect host for me."_

"What?!" Lector burst out aloud. "No! . . . I . . ."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Lector, what are you talking about?" Gansley demanded.

Lector barely heard him. Now the voice invading his mind was growing louder. He could hear the evil spirit laughing . . . _laughing. . . . _Its cruel claws were raking through his mind and spirit as it settled into his body.

"No! Get out!" Lector screamed.

Nesbitt ran to him. "Lector, what's the problem?!"

Suddenly Lector thrust a hand out, curling it around Nesbitt's throat. He looked up, his blue eyes dead yet menacing, his lips parted in a sneer. He shoved Nesbitt against the wall, still holding his hand around Nesbitt's throat. "So, you thought I really cared about you, did you?!" His Southern accent had thickened. "Maybe I did once, but you destroyed any feeling I had for you. All the times I was hurting so badly I could hardly stand it, and you always managed to make things worse!"

Nesbitt looked absolutely shattered. But in the next instant his eyes were steel. "You wouldn't say that out of the blue," he growled. "In fact, you wouldn't say it at all, not if you meant it!"

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Lector spat.

Téa gasped. "Lector?!"

"What the heck are you doing?!" Crump exclaimed. "Let him go!"

Johnson just stared, shaken. "They're both trapped," he realized. "Lector is possessed."

Nesbitt reached up with both hands, trembling as he gripped Lector's arm. "Lector . . . fight it," he rasped. "I fought off Yami Marik's brainwashing just recently. . . . I know this is even worse, but . . . you're stronger than me. I know you can . . ." He choked as Lector jerked his hand upward against the underside of Nesbitt's jaw.

Now Gansley and Crump were running over to him, trying to grab him from behind and pull him back. Seto too was going over. "Lector, you know if you do anything to hurt him, you'll never forgive yourself," he said.

"But . . . hold on," Téa realized in surprise. "He's got his hand around Nesbitt's neck, but . . . he's not squeezing. . . ."

"Yes," Nesbitt said. "I can't break his grip, but . . . he hasn't tried to cut off my air at all. . . ." He stared into Lector's still-lifeless eyes. "He won't. . . . He can't. . . ."

Lector's hand was violently shaking. At last he cried out in anguish as he tore it away from Nesbitt. He turned, desperately running up the stairs to the second floor.

"Lector!" Nesbitt took off after him in an instant. "Come back here! You grabbed my throat, but you didn't hurt me! I realized you wouldn't! Even possessed, you were that strong!"

"It's still trying to get me!" Lector yelled back down. "I can't risk it!"

Everyone was thundering up the stairs now, chasing him onto the darkened second floor. They ground to a collective halt. Lector wasn't running now; he had vanished into the shadows.

"Lector!" Nesbitt snapped.

"He won't come out," Gansley said. "Not until he's sure he's beaten it."

Yami Bakura growled. "It may have to be pulled out of him. We need to find him." The Infinity Ring lit up, glowing as it illuminated the upstairs hallway. Lector was nowhere in sight.

"Lector . . . !" Now Nesbitt sounded agonized. He walked ahead towards the nearest room, thinking Lector might have darted in there to hide. "Look. It was a shock when you grabbed me, but I knew I was completely safe. I still am; we all are. I'm sure that spirit doesn't understand that, but you should. You're always telling me to have faith in myself. Well, have some in yourself! You're not capable of hurting us! All you ever wanted was to protect us!" He clenched his fists. "You never forgot that, even when we were sinking into darkness and despair in Noa's world!"

There was no reply or even the sound of a struggle against the evil spirit.

"Where the heck is he?!" Crump yelped. He ran to another door. "You don't think he got spirited away or something?!"

"And maybe that's what happened to Mako too!" Téa exclaimed. "And everyone who lives here. . . ."

"Let's stay calm," Atem interjected. "We'll have to look everywhere." He felt across the wall and located the light switch for the hall. He flipped it on.

"I was hoping this _wouldn't_ be a supernatural problem," Yugi moaned. "Now all of a sudden everything is way more complicated than it was a couple of hours ago!"

"I guess supernatural problems are what we know how to deal with best," Tristan said.

Nesbitt snarled. "Lector!" he bellowed. He felt so helpless and Lector didn't seem to be anywhere around, unless he was hiding. Nesbitt could feel his patience starting to bend and break, but he fought to keep control of himself. He had said so many horrible things out of his fear or panic or arrogance in the past, but he had vowed to do better and he wanted to stick with that. The last thing Lector needed right now was for Nesbitt to be thoughtlessly cruel.

"Lector . . . please, come back," he finally said, brokenly. "Please. . . ."

"Oh man. . . ." Joey looked around in desperation. All the rooms were eerily silent. "I bet you guys wish you hadn't come with us now. . . ."

"I don't know what I wish!" Nesbitt snapped. "If it hadn't been Lector, it would have been one of you kids. And . . . none of us would have wanted that, either. . . ."

Everyone fell silent. Even knowing the Big Five were their friends and allies, that was still a powerful and somewhat surprising statement. And from the men's eyes, they all felt the same as Nesbitt.

Gansley sighed. "Let's just keep looking," he said at last. "Lector and the missing boy have to be around here somewhere. Lector couldn't have vanished so completely that fast!"

"So why isn't he answering?!" Nesbitt snapped. "Because he thinks that's for our own good?!"

"Probably because he's fighting so hard against whatever's trying to take over," Seto said. The memories of his own struggle against Reshef were clearly in his eyes. "Let's check all the rooms."

They spread out, thoroughly examining each room they came to. All pieces of furniture had to be checked from every angle. All closets and any doors leading onto balconies were opened. But by the time they reached the end of the long corridors of rooms, everyone had come up empty.

"He isn't here!" Téa exclaimed. "It's impossible, but he's not!"

"There has to be a secret passage somewhere," Atem said. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Either that . . . or something supernatural is masking our eyes from seeing him," Johnson whispered in horror. "Remember when Gansley and Crump couldn't see the rest of us at Evangeline's house. . . ."

"Then how will we ever find him and Mako?!" Joey wailed, messing up his hair.

"We'll just have to start over and start knocking on the wall for secret panels," Atem said.

"And I will try to scan for any supernatural barriers . . . if the Ring will cooperate," Yami Bakura growled.

If the Ring was cooperating, there were no barriers. And searching for secret panels was long and tedious work. Soon everyone felt as on-edge as the rest of the Big Five.

"If we could just get a signal, we could text Lector," Bakura lamented.

"Yeah, but we can't," Tristan growled. He kicked the latest wall in utter aggravation.

"He just ran up the stairs and disappeared!" Crump cried with a wild gesture.

"But whatever happened couldn't have been at the stairs," Gansley said. "Then he would have just fallen through a trapdoor to the first floor." He looked around, deeply frowning. "He had to have been at least over near this wall." He tapped the wall to the right with his cane.

"And we've been over it a thousand times!" Joey groaned.

Nesbitt was at his wits' end. From his expression, he felt like kicking the wall too—or yelling at the first person who so much as looked at him strangely. Finally he settled for smacking the wall with his hand. "I felt like running too, when I was taken over, but I didn't!" he snarled.

"So Lector reacted differently than you," Tristan shot back.

Gansley growled, not wanting a fight to break out. "Anyway, Nesbitt, had you not been able to break free when you did, I don't doubt that you would have tried to get away to protect us. That's all Lector was trying to do, and I'm sure you realize that." He felt around the wall, hoping against hope to find something helpful.

Nesbitt turned away. "I'm just worried about him," he retorted. His voice cracked a bit. "He didn't have to leave and I wish he hadn't. Now we can't find him. . . ."

Crump heaved a sigh. "I know, Pal. . . . I know. . . ." He laid a hand on Nesbitt's shoulder.

Gansley frowned. He was often frustrated with Nesbitt, he had to admit. But did that cause him to focus mostly on Nesbitt's words instead of what he really meant behind them? He didn't want to believe that about himself. They all knew Nesbitt shouldn't say some of the things he did, so Gansley often tried to let Nesbitt know when he'd crossed the line. Still, if he wasn't paying enough attention to what Nesbitt really meant, that wasn't good either.

He gripped his cane. He was supposed to be their leader, but a leader would try to help all of the people he was looking after, not just some. Hearing Lector's words couldn't have been easy for Nesbitt, even knowing it wasn't really Lector talking.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know you're hurting too."

"But I could express it better," Nesbitt growled. "It's not you, it's me. It's _always_ me!"

"We're all hurting and our emotions are running high," Gansley said. "A lot of thoughtless things go around at a time like this." He shook his head in weariness. "Sometimes, I'm not much better at controlling them than you."

Nesbitt looked at him in shock. "That's not true!" he objected.

"Isn't it?" Gansley countered. "Take right now, for instance. I immediately lectured you on your choice of words even though I know you often mean the opposite of what you say. Sometimes there really isn't any excuse for what you blurt out, but what you said now wasn't in that category. I should have been more supportive towards you, especially when you are no doubt hurting from what Lector was made to say to you."

"No. I needed to hear what you said," Nesbitt insisted. "I might have blurted it or something worse out to Lector's face, and that wouldn't have helped. I don't want to hurt him. . . . I never want to hurt him. . . ."

Gansley sighed. "I know."

The wall Gansley was examining suddenly clicked and swung outward. Lector stumbled out, badly shaken and eerily pale.

"Lector?!" Nesbitt ran over to him. "Where were you?!"

"Are you in control of yourself?" Gansley demanded.

Lector fell forward into Nesbitt's arms and gripped at his shoulders. Shocked, Nesbitt struggled to regain his balance and hold on to him. "Lector . . . !"

"The voice . . . in my head . . ." Lector whispered. "It laughed at me, laughed at Antoine Isidore, mocked my attempt to stop it from killing you. . . ."

"But it's gone now?!" Nesbitt demanded.

"Yes . . . it's gone," Lector said. "I fought to force it out, and it said someone who loved that much wasn't worth the effort of controlling. I asked it about Mr. Tsunami, and all it would say was that he's here in the house."

"You didn't find out any clue about who the heck it was?!" Joey exclaimed.

"I'm afraid not," Lector said. "Except . . . it seemed to know about me. It wondered why I'd moved away and then come back. It said my place was here in New Orleans. I said my place was with my friends. Then it said something about Angelique, how her family has always been mixed up in strange things." Finally recovering more of his strength, he struggled to stand up straight.

"So it knows Angelique?!" Mai stared.

"Or her ancestor, maybe," Lector said.

"Oh yeah," Crump said. "She told me her great-great-grandmother was mixed up in some Secret Service case about opera stars disappearing!"

"To say nothing of how she was guarding these rings for us," Johnson remarked, looking down at his emerald ring.

"That's right . . . there was one other thing the voice said," Lector said. "It said it wasn't here randomly, summoned by playing around with the occult. It said this was its house."

"Well, that's not good!" Téa exclaimed. "Did it say it's going to keep us all here?!"

"It said we'll have to find the way out if we want to escape," Lector said. "And it said we should find Mr. Tsunami first. But it wouldn't give me any clue as to where he is."

"Oh, of course not," Tristan scowled. "And how can you trust anything it said anyway?!"

"Quite frankly, I don't know if I can," Lector shot back. "I'm just telling you what it said." He sighed and stepped back, holding a hand to his forehead.

"For that matter, how do we know you're really yourself again and you're not just making all of that up?" Tristan persisted.

"You don't," Lector said wearily. He looked to Nesbitt. "I am . . . so sorry, my dear friend. . . ."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Nesbitt shot back. "You didn't hurt me!"

"I saw that look in your eyes," Lector said.

Nesbitt looked away. "Then you should have also seen the next look."

"You never had any doubts that it wasn't me grabbing you and deriding you?" Lector studied him, as if trying to convince himself of the answer. He was deathly afraid that Nesbitt had thought it was him and that the poor man's self-confidence had taken another dive.

"Never," Nesbitt insisted. "You would never do that! You proved again how strong-willed you are when you didn't fall under that spell!"

"Don't forget that you proved the same thing recently," Lector replied. "But now I know at least a small part of what you must have felt when you were having trouble breaking free from Yami Marik. It's a horrible, helpless feeling."

Nesbitt nodded in silent agreement and acknowledgment. ". . . Even though you'd never say those things to me, I know it's true about all the times I make things worse when you're already hurting," he said.

Lector couldn't really deny that. ". . . You always try to make it better when you calm down, though," he said. "Not everyone would do that."

"But it still doesn't take away that it happened," Nesbitt said in dismay. "Nothing ever can! I know you still hurt from things I said in the past. Even knowing I was speaking in anger doesn't change that the words came out!"

"No, it doesn't," Lector admitted. "It's true, the memory of those words is always there, and it always hurts. But I also have all the memories of the good times. It's a lot easier for me to forgive someone who was speaking in the heat of the moment rather than someone who just doesn't care." He paused. "And I have hurt you as well. I know I still struggle with being hypocritical sometimes, but I am aware I'm not completely guiltless in our problems. So I would rather just try to move on with my brother instead of staying upset about past hurts . . . if you feel you can move on with me."

Nesbitt stared at him for a long moment. Then, without warning, he hugged Lector close. "Always," he whispered.

Lector started, but quickly warmed to the gesture and returned it with a fond smile.

The rest of the Big Five relaxed. They would both be alright.

"While this is all very touching, we still have to find Mako," Yami Bakura grunted.

"I know." Lector pulled back from Nesbitt, but laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let's keep looking."

"Why were you in the wall anyway?" Crump asked.

"I didn't go in deliberately," Lector said. "I was running half-blind and the panel suddenly opened and I fell in."

"Seriously?!" Crump exclaimed. "Some other ghost must have opened it!"

"In this place, I wouldn't be surprised," Tristan said in disgust.

"Did you hear us calling for you?" Johnson asked.

"I'm afraid not," Lector said. "It was completely soundproof. And I couldn't concentrate on looking for the way out because I was trying to get that evil spirit out of my body." He sighed. "But of course I knew you would all be looking for me and I was very worried to get back to you. I just wanted to make sure that I would be safe to be around you first."

"Hey, if it was pitch-dark in there . . ." Joey walked over to the still-open panel and peered in. "Nuts, it looks like it's just some random room! I was hoping maybe it was a tunnel and Mako'd be in there."

Atem sighed. "Well, we had best resume our search. Let's try the third floor."

Everyone started walking towards the stairs, still shaken and confused about the experience, yet relieved now that Lector was back with them.

"Hey, if this place was around in the 1860s, I wonder who owned it then," Crump mused.

"There may be information like that in the library, if this house has one," Gansley said.

"Knowing the ownership might help us figure out who the ghosts are, but it wouldn't help with finding Mako," Seto said flatly.

"On the other hand, knowing what they were like might let us know where they would put him," Yami Bakura said.

"If we don't have any luck upstairs, we'll go back to the first floor to look around more," Seto said.

"In any case, if this house is that old, it would appear that the first floor, at least, has been remodeled," Gansley said. "It looked fairly modern."

"Although knowing that doesn't really help either," Tristan sighed.

"You never know," Atem said. "Even the most insignificant things could be clues."

They reached the top of the stairs and stood looking at the third floor rooms from the corridor. The feeling of unrest chilled them all.

"This is not cool," Joey whimpered.

"Well, we'll have to try anyway," Gansley said.

No one was that eager to proceed. But they all wanted to find Mako, so they steeled themselves and started to look.

xxxx

Mrs. Leichter and Marie were both startled and dismayed when Evangeline came banging on their door in the middle of the night.

"Evangeline, whatever is the trouble now?" Mrs. Leichter demanded as she opened the front door.

Evangeline stormed in, followed by Angelique and the rest of their group. "That's what I would like to know, _Mother,_" she spat. "Did you or Marie decide to sabotage the hotel by sending evil ghosts there?!"

Mrs. Leichter looked affronted, while Marie was stunned. "Of course not!" Mrs. Leichter snapped. "Why would we want to risk hurting the hotel?!"

"Maybe you'd think that trying to get me to resign as president would be worth it," Evangeline sneered.

"We didn't, Evangeline. I swear!" Marie exclaimed.

"Well, I'm no longer sure the new ghosts just came because their old home got torn down," Evangeline said. "It feels like a very personal attack."

"Then maybe it was Phillipe," Mrs. Leichter said stiffly. "He was very angry with you for not dropping the charges against Michel."

"Oh, I'll be sure to ask him, especially since you're volunteering him as a suspect!" Evangeline spun around with a whirl.

"If anyone in the family really is behind this, it's going to lead to another scandal," Duke pointed out, "so you'd better hope Phillipe didn't do it if you don't want to drag everyone's reputations through the dirt again."

"It's not like such a case could be taken to court," Mrs. Leichter sniffed. "Even in New Orleans, people can't be arrested for putting ghosts in a particular location."

"No, but if everybody believes in ghosts, it'll sure affect you anyway," Mokuba piped up. "And you'd probably deserve it after everything else you did, or didn't try to stop."

"And what about Angelique?" Mrs. Leichter looked to the angry and worried girl. "If we wanted to cause a scandal for Evangeline, I would be more likely to focus on her best friend by bringing out the skeletons in her family's closet."

"W-What?!" Angelique gasped.

"And just what do you think you have on her?" Marik demanded. The disgust was obvious in his eyes and his voice. "The press already knows about Dr. Raven."

"Yes, but they don't know that her great-great-grandmother's uncle was mixed up in a bizarre cover-up and multiple kidnappings in the 1870s." Mrs. Leichter spoke with a certain sick delight. "That case she's so proud of that her great-great-grandmother helped solve, about the missing opera stars? She never mentioned that another relative was part of the problem."

"I guess crummy uncles run in the family," David winced.

Angelique clenched her fists. "I didn't even know about that," she admitted. "My great-great-grandmother must have kept that part of the story secret when she passed it down to her family. But it shouldn't have anything to do with me! It's not my fault what happened in the 1870s!"

"I could make sure the press twisted it around to make it look like you're suspicious too," Mrs. Leichter said.

"You'd better not, Mother," Evangeline snapped right back. Outrage and anger flashed in her eyes, just about to the boiling-over point. "Don't forget that there's a whole lot more I could tell about you and Father!"

"You leave your father out of this!" Mrs. Leichter snarled.

"And you leave Angelique out of it!" Evangeline screamed. "Haven't you hurt enough people already?!"

"I think it's time we should leave," Ishizu said in concern.

Rishid nodded. "None of this is helping."

Evangeline really knew that, even though there were plenty more things she would like to say. She stormed outside and down the stairs, followed by everyone else.

"So are we really going to go talk to Phillipe now?" David asked.

Evangeline took out her phone. "Démas still hasn't answered any of the messages I sent him." She frowned. "I think some of us should go to that house and see what's going on."

"I agree," Ishizu said. "But I will take Mokuba back to the hotel."

"I should be there too!" Mokuba pleaded. "Seto's there, and Lector, and I care about everybody else who's there too. . . ."

"Something obviously isn't right there," Marik said. "Your brother would be rightfully enraged if we allowed you to go, Mokuba. But Rishid and I will go with Evangeline to see what's wrong."

"I'll come too," Angelique spoke up. "I didn't think there was any significance in this, but after what Mrs. Leichter said, I'm starting to wonder. That house where they went. . . . In the 1870s, it was the home of the people who instigated the kidnapping scheme my great-great-grandmother helped solve."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It was disturbing and worrisome when Evangeline's group arrived at the Isidore home and found the vehicles Seto and the others had used still parked outside. The house was bathed in lights. And still no one inside who was texted or called replied.

"Something is definitely wrong," Marik frowned. "We have to get in there!"

"Then we may only become trapped as well," Rishid said in concern. But it did seem to be the only solution. How could they see if the others needed their help without going inside?

"We're going to help too," came another determined voice as a second car pulled up behind Evangeline's.

"Serenity?!" Evangeline exclaimed.

"And us," Duke said, indicating himself and David as they got out of the car along with Serenity. "Serenity was just too worried about Joey and everyone to stay put."

Evangeline had to smile a bit. "Well, you know I'm all for worrying about loved ones. Let's go." She led the way up to the porch and knocked. When no one came to the door, she immediately went to the window and tried to hoist it up. "It's locked," she sighed.

"Then we'll just have to try something else," Angelique said.

"Is there a back way in?" Marik asked.

"There's a beautiful garden around back," Angelique said. "And . . . the family cemetery. . . . It could be like our house and there might be a secret passage leading inside from a tomb. . . ."

Everyone cringed.

"Oh great," Duke scowled.

Serenity drew a deep breath. "But if that's our only option, we'll have to go," she said.

Angelique nodded. "Alright then."

She led the group around the side and then the back of the house. The garden area had several stone walkways and benches snaking around pink flower bushes and tall weeping willows. The cemetery was at the end of one such walkway, through an iron gate.

"People used to have superstitions that ghosts couldn't pass through iron, so cemeteries always featured iron gates," Angelique remarked as she pushed it open. It creaked eerily in the night.

"Somehow I doubt iron would really stop any determined ghost," David remarked.

Duke stood looking for a moment at the elaborate tombs and statuary surrounding them. "I'd say it's a good thing Joey isn't seeing this, but he may be seeing something worse in the house," he grunted.

"Like the ghosts themselves!" Serenity exclaimed. "Come on!" She went through the gate in determination. "Where should we check first?"

"Let's try a tomb closest to the house," Angelique said.

David shook his head as they all trooped after Serenity. "Isn't she intimidated by this at all?" He cringed at the sight of an eerie mourning angel statue slumped forward on a bench in front of a tomb inscribed CAROLINE MASON.

"Considering she walked through an Egyptian tomb _by herself_ when she thought it was something she had to do, this is probably a walk in the park compared to that," Duke replied.

". . . Good point," David conceded.

Angelique looked back at them in surprise. "There must be a huge story behind that."

"There sure is," Duke said. "One that's way too complex to tell right now."

David was still eyeing the monument as they walked past. "So . . . who was Caroline Mason?" he wondered aloud. "Someone sure must have loved her."

"Caroline Mason was at the heart of the kidnapping mystery my great-great-grandmother worked on," Angelique said. "She was an opera star whose voice was irreparably damaged in a fire. Her maid had been killed in the fire and mistakenly identified as her, and she wanted it kept that way when she realized there was no hope for her voice. But she couldn't accept what had happened to her, especially because the man who loved her had loved her singing so much. She became a kind of 'Phantom of the Opera,' kidnapping opera stars whose voices she thought had promise and trying to train them to be as talented as she had been. When the Secret Service found out and tried to stop her, she snapped and ended up falling off a balcony to her death when she tried to kill one of the agents."

Everyone else in the group was stunned silent.

"That's horrible," Serenity gasped.

"It was a really twisted case, that's for sure," Angelique said. ". . . And apparently even more than I'd known." Her voice darkened.

"Maybe we can find out the whole story and exactly what part your great-great-grandmother's uncle played in it," Evangeline said.

"He was involved," Angelique said. "What more do I need to know? My great-great-grandmother didn't even mention him at all. Obviously she wanted to keep that stain off the family. Only my uncle decided to make another one!"

"Well, I think we need to know the whole story," Serenity said. "I guess Snakes wouldn't know about this case. . . ."

"He might," Duke said. "It was probably after the time when he lived in New Orleans, but he's friends with a couple of top Secret Service agents from that time period. Maybe they're even the ones who worked on the case."

"Jim West and Artemus Gordon?" Angelique pounced.

". . . Yeah, actually," Duke remembered. "They might have told Snakes about the case for some reason. And they visit here sometimes because the portal connecting the time periods has never been closed. I'll call and ask Snakes about it . . . if we ever get out of here."

"We're going to find everyone and get out," Serenity insisted. She walked over to a looming tomb mostly hidden in the shadows. "Is this one close enough to the house?"

Angelique came over to it. "I think so," she said. "And it's the tomb of Max Crenshaw, the house's owner. It's possible they'd put a secret passage in his tomb. Although on the other hand, maybe they'd think that would be too obvious. . . ."

"Let's go in and find out." Marik walked up to the tomb and rattled the padlock.

"It's too bad we don't have Yami Bakura with us," Evangeline sighed. "How are we going to get in?"

Marik was about to suggest that he pick the lock when it came open in his hand. ". . . Oh, this isn't suspicious at all," he grunted.

"On the other hand, maybe the weirdos who live here were just fooling around with the tomb instead of traveling back and forth through a passageway," Duke said. "Do you think they'd really be respectful of the dead?"

"I don't know enough about them to say," Evangeline said, "except that Antoine Isidore was interested in the occult, much to Father's horror. He would probably be respectful."

Marik pushed the doors open and they creaked on badly rusted hinges. "Then let's see if they've been using a secret passage in here."

Everyone followed him in and he took out a flashlight to shine around the resting place. For the most part, the tomb looked as though it hadn't been disturbed in decades. Thick layers of dust were everywhere. But when Marik looked more closely, he discovered footprints in the dust leading over to the back wall. Around one section of it was a wide arc of dust-free floor, as though a heavy panel had opened and swept all the dust to the side.

Duke's eyes lit up. "Bingo! That part of the wall has to open!"

Marik stuck his flashlight in his belt. "The only question is how." He started to feel across the wall. Rishid soon joined him.

The others spread out around the tomb, just in case the trigger wasn't on the wall itself. David stayed as far away from the casket as possible, instead examining a pedestal with an urn.

Duke stayed close by him. "Does it bring back bad memories to be in here?" he asked in concern.

David sighed. "I try not to let it," he said. "I can't go through all my life being leery of every cemetery because of it reminding me of being . . . dead. . . ." He let his hand drop to the base of the pedestal. "But what about you, Duke? How are you holding up?"

Duke sighed too. "I'm trying to make myself remember that it was all in the past, that everything's okay now. But it's impossible not to think of all the times I went out to the cemetery and stayed by your grave, talking to you. . . ." He looked to Serenity, who was actually examining the coffin for the trigger. "And then I think of how brave Serenity was, and how strong. . . . She was my rock back then. She still has more pluck than she's given credit for. Sometimes I even have to try to convince her not to do something that seems too dangerous."

"And you usually fail, like tonight," David intoned. He moved his hand and something clicked. Up ahead, the wall groaned and started to creak open.

Marik and Rishid leaped out of the way. "What happened?!" Marik demanded.

David stared down at the pedestal. "I . . . think I just found the trigger?"

"That's awesome!" Serenity beamed. She ran over to the panel and stared inside. Marik held up his flashlight. The interior was ominous and dark, with stone steps leading underground. A musty smell hung in the air.

Evangeline walked forward in determination. "This had really better lead into the house," she said.

Marik started down the steps, beaming his flashlight in all directions. "It's our best chance," he said. He hated going underground, but he would have to steel himself for it now.

The others filed after him, with Rishid staying especially close in case anything dangerous tried to leap out at Marik. But despite the eeriness and unsettling nature of their journey, nothing happened until they reached the other end of the passageway and encountered a second wall.

"And here we go again," David sighed. "This time there aren't any pedestals to lean on."

The group spread out, feeling across the wall and floor for the trigger. Finally Rishid pressed on just the right place on the panel and it groaned open, revealing what looked like a food cellar.

"The basement!" Evangeline exclaimed. She hurried past Marik and into the room. The shelves were mostly empty, with only an empty Mason jar and an overturned tin can showing what the room had once been used for. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and stretched down across old shelves and gardening equipment.

Everyone else crowded in around her. "So this basement didn't get remodeled like yours did?" David mused.

"We'll soon find out," Evangeline said. "After all, ours keeps the original cellar in addition to the modern rooms."

"True," David conceded.

They walked farther inside, staying alert for anyone they might encounter along the way. The area seemed deserted at first, but soon they entered a more modern, lighted room with a washer and dryer and the boiler, and doors spreading out to other rooms beyond.

"This has to be the strangest laundry room I've ever seen," David noted, eyeing a couch that had been plopped against the wall diagonal to the washer and dryer.

"It's also one of the largest laundry rooms I've ever seen," Duke remarked.

"Actually, it's pretty cool," Serenity said. "They've really made it their own."

Evangeline walked across the room to a door at the back and opened it. "It's some kind of fruit room under the porch," she said. "Complete with bugs!" She shut the door in annoyance.

Angelique chose a door to the right. "They've fixed this room up with red carpet," she announced. "There's a desk and an old console television and a fake fireplace."

"That's so neat!" Serenity peered inside. "They know how to make things cozy." She sighed. "But there's still no sign of anyone. . . ." She took out her phone. "And now it's saying No Signal! I guess that's why no one answered our messages from in this house."

"Oh great." Duke scowled. "Yeah, mine's saying it too."

David walked on to a door across from the water heater. "What do you think they mean by this?" He studied a strange decal depicting the silhouette of a man in a darkened room with a lightbulb above him. "It's kind of creepy."

"It's probably just random." Duke pushed the door open. "It looks like a bedroom in here. CDS everywhere and a stereo system against the other wall."

"Is that everything?" Evangeline looked around in frustration. "I don't see any other rooms."

"Wait." Rishid walked past the room with the door decal. "There's a pathway around the boiler. Perhaps there are other rooms beyond it."

"Couldn't hurt to check," Duke shrugged.

There were no working lights down the path, making it an eerie experience to go back into the dark after being in the light. But as they went deeper down the path, another open door greeted them.

"One more room," Evangeline said softly. She walked out ahead and looked into the new room. "Hello?"

A dark silhouette abruptly rose up in front of her with a groan. Evangeline shrieked and fell back.

Marik beamed his flashlight into the room. "Mako Tsunami?!" he exclaimed in shocked surprise.

Mako was rubbing the back of his head. "Hello," he greeted uncertainly. "Who are you?"

"Marik Ishtar. I'm a friend of Yugi's," Marik replied. He introduced the rest of the group. "We came here looking for our friends and family, and you. They came looking for you and haven't checked in with us for hours!"

"Oh no," Mako exclaimed. "The last thing I wanted was to cause any trouble for my friends. Yugi is here?!"

"Everyone is," Serenity said.

"What happened to you?" Evangeline asked. "What were you doing in here?"

"I'm afraid I don't even remember much of what happened," Mako admitted. "I was dragged inside by a man with dead eyes. When I tried to fight back, he and his friends all ganged up on me at once."

"That's horrible!" Angelique cried. "And they didn't give any explanation of why?!"

"I'm afraid not." Mako's eyes flashed. "All I wanted was to learn what Antoine Isidore knew about my father, and I never found out! They must have thrown me into this room. Where is this?"

"The basement," Evangeline said. "Now we need to go upstairs and try to find everyone else. Are you badly hurt?"

"Mainly my pride," Mako said. "I am alright. We should locate Yugi and everyone else immediately! This is no place for any decent person!"

"I wholeheartedly agree," Marik frowned.

They walked back down the path and into the laundry room. Once they were standing in the light, the bruises and cuts on Mako's body were obvious.

Serenity gasped. "You _are_ hurt! We should treat those cuts before they get infected!"

"Not to worry," Mako insisted. "I have suffered far worse than this out on the waters."

"We should take care of them anyway," Evangeline said. "We have a first aid kit." She gestured towards Rishid, who nodded and took it out.

Seeing their worry, Mako finally smiled and conceded his position. "Very well then. I thank you for your concern." He sat down on the cream-colored couch.

Rishid quickly cleaned and bandaged the cuts. "Are the phones still saying No Signal?" he asked without hope as he finished.

"They sure are," Duke said.

Mako got up. "Then let us hurry and find the others! Who knows what's happened to them by now!"

Everyone was in complete agreement. The stairs leading up were behind the washer and dryer, and the group hastened to them without delay.

"I wonder if we should call to them out loud or if that would make it worse," Evangeline said.

"I wouldn't recommend advertising our presence," Mako said. "Not after what I saw of the people who live here."

"Maybe they're not even here now," Evangeline said. But she didn't call out.

xxxx

The third floor was eerie and unrestful unlike the other floors. There had only been a vague hint of something wrong on the other levels. On the third floor, there was no doubt. Something was there, and it didn't like there being so many intruders.

"This place feels awful!" Joey screamed. "And I don't see that Mako's anywheres around here!"

"Thank goodness for that," Téa said with a shudder. "Let's go look the first floor over more and leave this place alone!"

"I wonder what on Earth is worse about this floor," Bakura said. He paused in front of a room with stained glass designs in the wall just to the side of the locked door. "My word, how unusual. . . ."

"That's beautiful," Téa exclaimed. She came over and touched the blue, green, and red pieces of glass. A red circle fell out of its place and to the floor. ". . . Uh oh. . . ."

"It must have already been loose," Mai said. "You couldn't have made it fall out just from touching it otherwise, Téa."

"I'll put it back." Joey pulled a chair over and stood on it, circle in hand. The temptation was too much; he peered through the hole at the room beyond.

"So what's it like back there?" Tristan asked.

"I'm . . . not sure," Joey frowned. "It looks like somebody's bedroom, but there's some weird shrine thing in the middle of it. . . ."

"A shrine?" Téa said in disbelief.

"There's a bunch of old candles, an altar, and some huge painting of a creepy-looking lady," Joey said. He jumped down. "Take a look!"

Frowning in bewilderment, Téa climbed up and stared through the hole. ". . . You're right, Joey," she breathed. "Oh wow. . . . That's really weird . . . and kind of spooky. Kind of sad, too. Whose room could this be, and who was the woman in the painting?"

"Maybe Angelique would know?" Crump suggested. "Since that messed-up spirit seemed to have some kind of connection with her?"

"We'll ask her when we get out of here," Yugi nodded. "If we ever get out of here. . . . Come on, guys, let's go."

Téa got down from the chair, still creeped out.

"There is one thing I can definitely tell you," Yami Bakura grunted. "Whoever is up here feels that they can't ever find peace."

". . . And you can tell this because you sense it from their spirit?" Johnson asked.

"Something like that," Yami Bakura said.

"What if we could talk to them and find out why they're so unhappy and whether they've seen Mako?" Bakura suggested.

"We didn't have any luck like that at Evangeline's home," Gansley grunted.

"But that doesn't mean all ghosts are like that," Bakura protested. "Maybe the one here would be willing to talk to us. Maybe we could even help them move on."

"Unlikely," Yami Bakura said flatly. But he closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to reach out for the spirit he sensed was all around them. "Will you talk to us?" he asked.

The wave of negative energy almost knocked him to the floor. He snarled, opening his eyes. "They say No. They just want us to leave."

"But we can't leave until we find Mako!" Bakura exclaimed. "Please, have you seen him? Do you know where we can find him?" He stood in the middle of the floor, turning around and around to every angle as he desperately sought the restless spirit.

Yami Bakura paused, listening. "I feel the sensation of . . . down," he said. "They're telling us Mako is not on this floor."

"Either that or they're saying go to purgatory," Tristan grunted. "How can we trust anything they're saying?!"

"They want us out," Yami Bakura said simply. "If reuniting us with the boy is the only way we'll go, they will help us on our way."

"Alright then, guys!" Téa declared. "Let's go!"

They were all only too relieved to slip back to the stairs and go down to the ground floor. And just as they were arriving, Evangeline's group was coming up from the basement stairs.

"Démas!" Evangeline exclaimed in joy to see her beloved brother safe. "Oh Démas. . . ." She ran to Lector and hugged him close.

Lector returned the gesture, stunned. "Evangeline, what are you doing here?!" he demanded.

"We came looking for you because you weren't answering your phones!" Evangeline said.

"Hi, my friends!" Mako chirped, coming forward. "It's good to see all of you again! I'm so sorry you were put to all the trouble of looking for me in this foul place."

"Mako!" Téa cried. "Are you okay?!"

"Yes, I am fine now," Mako said. "These friends of yours found me in the basement. Of course, now they are my friends as well!"

"Joey!" Serenity ran out from the group and over to her brother. "Are you okay too?!"

"Serenity?!" Joey yelped. "Yeah, I'm fine, but I didn't want you in this crummy place! It's awful!"

"Mokuba isn't here, is he?" Seto gave Marik and Rishid a dark and demanding look.

"Of course not, Kaiba," Marik insisted. "Ishizu is with him back at the hotel."

Seto relaxed. "Good. Let's get out of here."

"What if the doors still won't open?!" Téa moaned.

"Then maybe we can get you out the way we came in, through the back," Evangeline said.

"It's through the cemetery, though," Serenity said, looking at Joey with concern.

Joey quaked in horror. "The cemetery?!"

"If it's the only way out, we'll take it and be grateful for it," Gansley grunted.

"Oh, Angelique. . . ." Téa looked to her. "There's a really freaky room on the third floor with a stained glass wall and a shrine to some woman. We uh . . . ran into a spirit who acted like he had some connection with your family and . . . well, we just wondered if you'd know anything about this house or that room. . . ."

Angelique frowned. "I do. Originally it was on the second floor. When they remodeled the house, they raised the entire floor and put a middle level in. The shrine is dedicated to Caroline Mason, a famous opera star from the 19th Century. I'll tell you more as we're walking." She paused. "But first, I'd like to hear more about this spirit."

Lector cringed. He hardly liked to tell what had happened to him and worry Evangeline. But on the other hand, the group would probably keep talking about what had happened and she would hear about it anyway.

"Let's try the front door first," he said. He went out ahead and to the door in the entryway. But as they had half-expected, it was still stuck.

"Coming to think about it, what about the people who live here?" Yugi suddenly realized. "Can we go without seeing what happened to them?"

Yami Bakura looked irritated. "It's their own fault they're in this mess of a house," he retorted. "They not only chose to live in a den of spirits, they make it worse by toying with the occult."

"I should like to press charges on all of them after they attacked me," Mako frowned. "I wasn't a danger to any of them. They had no right."

Lector sighed. ". . . It's possible they weren't even in control of themselves," he said at last. "One of the spirits in this house tried to control me."

Evangeline gasped. "No!"

"I'm alright now," Lector assured her. "But Yugi and Mr. Tsunami make excellent points. We'd better try to find those people before we leave. We've looked almost everywhere by now; there's only the rest of this floor to check."

Yami Bakura rolled his eyes. "Well, whatever. But don't blame me if something else goes wrong."

"If something else goes wrong, you'll probably blame us," Tristan sneered.

Yami Bakura sneered back. "You're right."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes: This chapter has been driving me batty. Thanks to Crystal Rose of Pollux for helping me sort it out!**

**Chapter Six**

The rest of the first floor felt as eerie as the rest of the house. One room had been clearly set up as their gateway to the beyond, complete with Ouija board and a table for a séance. The group quickly hurried past that room, Joey in particular horrified.

"They've got a whole houseful of ghosts!" he wailed. "Why do they need more?!"

"They're all idiots?" Yami Bakura suggested with heavy sarcasm.

Gansley had to crack a smirk. He couldn't disagree.

Mai had walked out ahead with Joey to make sure he didn't get too far away. But before she could speak, they both caught sight of the contents of another room. Mai gasped, while Joey screamed.

"They're all layin' in there!" Joey pointed at the room in horror from the doorway.

Atem and Mako ran inside, stunned. Indeed, Antoine Isidore, four other men, and a woman were sprawled on the carpet, not moving. Atem knelt by the nearest body and checked for a pulse. "He's alive," he reported. "They're probably all alive. But why are they unconscious?"

"Stress from being possessed?" Tristan suggested.

Lector frowned and nodded. "I was so badly weakened that I thought I might swoon," he said.

"They're probably all a lot more weak-minded than you, so they all really did swoon," Nesbitt grunted.

"So what should we do now?" Téa quavered. "It's not like doctors and nurses would know what to do about something like this. . . ."

"Let's try to wake them up," Atem said. "We can't just leave them like this."

Knowing he was right, the rest of the group slowly trickled into the room and started to lift the people onto the couches and loveseats in the room. But when Lector caught sight of the woman when Joey pulled her up, he went stiff in shock. "No. . . ."

Gansley looked to him with a start. "What is it?"

Lector shook his head. "Darcy Broussard. . . . I had hoped I would never see her again."

"It _is_ her!" Evangeline yelped.

Darcy stirred, turning her head to the side with a moan as she reached to brush Joey away. The men were beginning to wake up too, grumbling and growling and not seeming pleased with their surroundings.

"Well, what's so terrible about her?!" Nesbitt demanded.

"She looks pretty good to me," Crump said. "Too old for my tastes, but still lookin' good."

Lector grunted. "She's the kind of person who always wants her own way, and if she doesn't get it, she'll make trouble for whoever's stopping her. My father and her father arranged a marriage between her . . . and me."

Everyone turned to stare at him.

"You were engaged, Lector?" Johnson exclaimed.

"For a while," Lector said. "I was only doing it to please my father. But when I realized what kind of person she really was, I called it off against his wishes. He was glad I hadn't married her when I told him why."

". . . Did she . . . wanna marry you?" Crump had to ask.

"Not really," Lector said. "She just wanted the social prestige from it. That, and the extra money."

"So . . . what kinds of things did she do to people?" Crump eyed her nervously.

"Anything and everything," Lector said. "She would do petty things like breaking something someone wanted to buy in a store if she wanted it too and couldn't get it. Then she would turn around and ruin someone's reputation if they spoke up about her true nature or rejected her advances."

"I wonder how she fell in with the likes of these people," Atem remarked. "Surely they are further down the social ladder than she would like."

"Maybe all her cruelty caught up with her and this is the level she's fallen to now," Lector remarked. "I would be glad if she doesn't have the high social position she wanted." His eyes darkened. "She doesn't deserve it. Nor do the people of New Orleans deserve what she would do to them if she could."

Nesbitt protectively stepped in front of Lector as Darcy started to open her eyes and blearily look in their direction. "Would she hurt you?" he demanded. His eyes flashed. "Could she have directed that spirit to possess you?!"

". . . I don't know." Lector hadn't thought of it, but now that Nesbitt had put the suggestion in his mind he was growing angry. He honestly wouldn't put such a thing past her.

Darcy's eyes flickered as she focused on them. "So . . . you didn't kill him," she mumbled, instantly confirming all of Nesbitt's sudden suspicions.

Lector's eyes flamed. "You wanted me to?!" he boomed.

She sneered at him. "When I saw you here, yes, I did. I knew that would absolutely cripple you, Démas."

"That is outrageous!" Mako cried before Lector could find his voice again. "How could you do something like that to them?!"

"I missed my chance to become part of the most powerful family in New Orleans because he had to have enough honor to not want me for his wife," Darcy replied. "I always wondered what would be the perfect way to get back at him for that. When I read all the stories in the newspapers about his precious friends, I knew that was the way."

"But you failed." Gansley's voice was clipped and furious.

"That spirit assured me he wouldn't fail," Darcy snarled.

"He'd never come up against someone with Lector's mental strength before," Nesbitt snapped. "Especially if all he'd had to deal with was weak people like all of you! What do you do, sit around all night and use your Ouija board and get possessed by whatever decides to come play with you?!"

"Not usually," Antoine mumbled as he started to wake up as well.

"Wow, it must have been some party tonight," the man on the loveseat remarked.

"Did all of you men attack me while you were in your right minds?" Mako demanded.

Antoine looked up at him with a start. ". . . I remember we attacked you, and yet I don't remember why we did," he exclaimed. "And why are all of you here?"

"We're all trapped in your house!" Mai retorted. "We need to get out of here!"

"Oh. The door's stuck again?" Antoine stumbled up. "When that happens, we use a window." He walked over to the window above a couch and forced the sash up.

"Wait a moment," Mako implored. "I came here in the first place because I wanted to know if you've heard anything from my father, Akio Tsunami."

Antoine started. "You're Akio's son?! Actually, I've tried many times to contact him on the other side, but I've never got through."

"Aha! Because he isn't _on_ the other side!" Mako exclaimed.

Yami Bakura grunted. "Good spirits have better things to do than play around with Ouija boards," he said flatly. "When you people use them, all you attract are evil spirits."

"How do you know?" Antoine's friend frowned.

That brought a sneer. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Bakura scratched his cheek. "Oh dear. . . ."

"Nevermind," Yami Bakura said brusquely. "Let's just get out of here."

Crump gave Darcy a look of utter repulsion. "Too bad we can't arrest somebody for setting a ghost on them."

Nesbitt growled. "I'll find a way to get back at her for this," he vowed, deliberately throwing her words back at her.

"The fact that she failed was already the perfect vengeance," Atem said. "She wasn't expecting your bond to be that strong."

"Thank God it was," Lector said with a shudder.

Suddenly something else occurred to him. "Did you set those evil spirits on my sister's hotel?" he demanded.

Darcy gave him a dark smirk. "Oh, is she having problems?"

"She didn't do anything to you!" Lector spat. "You take those spirits away right now!"

Darcy laughed. "I never said I put them there. It sounds like fun, though."

"You're going to regret what you've been doing," Lector vowed. "I'll find a way to stop you."

"I hope you do. Goodnight, Démas." Darcy waved at him in a dismissive manner.

Lector wasn't satisfied. She couldn't be allowed to roam free, able to do things like this. Still, how could he stop someone from communicating with ghosts? He couldn't use his ring unless her power threatened the entire world.

He looked to Yami Bakura with questions in his eyes. Could he do something?

Yami Bakura looked back. He could.

"You know," he sneered to Darcy, "there are others with powers stronger than yours. If you continue to cause trouble, you just may provoke them into doing something about it."

"Oh?" She sneered back. "What would they do, for instance?"

"Well." Yami Bakura held up the Infinity Ring. "They may just cast you into outer darkness."

"Really?" Darcy clearly didn't believe him. "How fascinating."

"From all Lector has told us, you've been a menace for years," Yami Bakura continued. "And apparently the trend continues. If I sent you away right now for what you've done tonight, I would say it would be justified."

Atem stepped forward. "Or we could try forcing you to take a long look at yourself and seeing whether you are capable of change."

"A Mind Crush?" Yami Bakura snorted. "I would rather remove the problem altogether."

Darcy smirked at them both. "What if I'm stronger than either of you think? Try anything on me and . . . well . . ." She snapped her fingers. Ghostly forms swirled into the room and began to curl around Yugi and Bakura.

"Yugi!" Téa cried.

Yugi cringed, trying in vain to pull away from the insistent spectre.

"Oh my!" Bakura gasped, his eyes wide with fright. He had gone stiff, staring at the ghost.

Yami Bakura's eyes darkened. "Then you say it's a stalemate."

"Right now, yes," Darcy said. She folded her arms. "It's your choice. Get me, and my spirits will take them."

Yami Bakura snarled. Atem's eyes narrowed. "I have another proposal for you—a duel. If I defeat you, you will be forced to undergo my method of soul-searching without your ghosts interfering."

"This may come as a shock to you, but I don't duel," Darcy giggled. "It wouldn't be a fair fight."

"There are many other games we can play in the same manner," Atem replied.

Darcy's eyes narrowed. "Alright then. If that's the way it's going to be, you'll have to find me first." The spirits swirled around her now. When they vanished, so had she.

"What the heck?!" Joey shrieked.

Lector stared. "She has changed a great deal since I knew her, and not for the better." He looked to Antoine with dangerous eyes. "Where did she go?"

"Search me," he shrugged. "She's never done that before. I can give you her address, but she probably won't be there either."

"Let's have it anyway," Atem frowned.

Lector wrote it down as Antoine recited it, his hand trembling. This was going to mean trouble later. He just knew it.

Everyone was all too relieved to start climbing out the window into the yard and hurry around front to their vehicles. "Are we going to check her house?" Yugi wondered.

"I'm sure he's right that she won't be there," Atem frowned.

"Let's just get back to the hotel, quick," Seto ordered.

"Yeah! Before something else goes wrong!" Tristan exclaimed.

No one disagreed.

xxxx

Lector was very quiet on the ride back to the hotel. For a while no one questioned him; they were all shaken and there was so much to process about what had happened. Joey spent much of the ride ranting, and no one could blame him.

It was after they arrived back at the hotel that Nesbitt decided it was time to prod Lector.

"Are you still thinking about that witch?"

Lector started and looked to him. They were walking down the corridor to the suites they had registered earlier that night. Seto and the others were following, all eager to make sure Mokuba and Ishizu were safe. So far nothing oddly supernatural had manifested at the hotel, but all of them were on edge and expecting something to go wrong.

"I suppose I am," Lector confessed. "I never thought I'd see her again. I hoped I wouldn't."

"Were you ever . . . in love with her?" Nesbitt stammered over his words, feeling awkward.

"No," Lector said. "I can't honestly say I've ever been in love with anyone. But if I ever were to fall in love, it would never be with someone like that."

"But you didn't know what she was like at first, did you?" Johnson asked.

"If I had, I wouldn't have agreed to the engagement," Lector said. "I supposed she would be nice enough to be married to. I'm glad I found out I was wrong before I went through with it."

"I know you always believed that duty was important, but I never would have agreed to marry anyone just to please my parents," Nesbitt grunted.

"I came to feel the same way," Lector assured him. "I suppose realizing what my fiancée was like was a wake-up call to me. I was just letting my parents dictate what I did to the point that I would make a life-altering change like marriage to please them. I don't believe anyone should have to marry just to please someone else. They should only do it if that's what they want to do. Marrying without any real desire would only hurt the other party anyway. They wouldn't want to be trapped in a marriage with someone who didn't want to be there."

"That's true," Nesbitt said. "I guess arranged marriages were like that a lot, though—neither party wanted it and both felt they had to do it."

"Thankfully, we don't live in an era where things have to be that way," Lector said.

"But we live in an era where the former fiancée can flip out and try to have the former fiancé get possessed!" Crump exclaimed. "What are we gonna do about her?!"

"I don't know," Lector groaned, rubbing his forehead. "I'm sure we haven't heard the last from her."

Atem's eyes narrowed. He still felt her house should be checked, but he didn't want to involve everyone in that venture. He was formulating a plan of his own to go back there by himself . . . or with Yami Bakura, if the thief would agree. Even Atem recognized that going alone could be foolhardy. Going with Yami Bakura didn't thrill him either, however; they clearly had different ideas on how to deal with the woman.

They reached the Ishtar suite and Marik unlocked the door. "Sister? Mokuba?"

Ishizu was sitting on the couch with a book. "Marik! Rishid!" she exclaimed in relief.

Mokuba ran out from a bedroom. "You're all back safe!" he cheered, hugging first Seto, then Marik, then Lector. They each returned the hugs.

"And we found Mako," Marik said.

"Yes, but I'm afraid I'm no closer to learning about my father," Mako frowned.

"What on Earth has been happening?" Ishizu exclaimed.

"It's an extremely long story," Marik sighed. "One I don't quite feel up to telling right now."

"Basically, we all got trapped in another ghost nest," Tristan flatly announced.

Mokuba stiffened. "Seto!"

"We're all fine, Mokuba," Seto insisted. He shot Tristan a Look.

". . . So you don't have anything else to do in New Orleans, Mako?" Téa asked, deciding a change of subject was in order.

"Yeah, you should stay and explore or something," Mokuba said. "We hardly ever get to have fun when we come here; there's too many awful things going on around us!"

"Hmm." Mako pondered on that and suddenly beamed. "That's a grand invitation! I believe I will stay on for at least a day or two. I should like to see all the places where my father was when he was here."

"And you could talk to the family that hosted him while he was here," Téa said. "If they still live here. . . ."

"I will look into that!" Mako agreed.

"How about right now we all look into getting some sleep?" Mai suggested. "Unless anyone wants to eat first. . . ."

"Sleep for me," Lector said, and many agreed with that.

"I'm ordering room service," Yami Bakura flatly countered.

"There's quite a few meat dishes you'll enjoy," Evangeline said.

"Oh, I'm sure he will," Bakura chuckled while Yami Bakura's eyes lit up.

The groups began to separate. The Big Five went into the suite they had chosen for themselves and Gansley promptly claimed the daybed. "The four of you can divide the two bedrooms up any way you wish," he grunted as he unfolded it. "I'm going to bed."

"I'm sure we'll have a busy day tomorrow," Johnson remarked as he followed Crump into one of the bedrooms.

"Yeah!" Crump agreed. "We need to work on Evangeline's mystery! And to find that creep!"

Nesbitt wasn't looking forward to more supernatural problems. He went into the other room with Lector and sank onto one of the two beds as he pulled off his tie.

Lector sighed wearily and went into the bathroom to change clothes. When he came out, Nesbitt had changed in the bedroom and flopped on the bed, but was still awake. Lector sank onto the other bed and turned out the light. "Goodnight," he said.

Nesbitt just grunted. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Because I saw Darcy again?" Lector frowned. "Yes, I'll be fine. Although I'm also going to be furious for a while because of what she tried to arrange to have happen."

"You and me both," Nesbitt countered.

Lector looked away. "Revenge really can poison the soul. She's a prime example."

"It sounds like she was poisoned before," Nesbitt said. "Sometimes there's a very good reason to want revenge for something."

"I know," Lector said. "Actually, I think we had every right to be furious at Mr. Kaiba for how he treated us after we helped him take over the company. But over time we let those feelings warp us into people we had no business being. I detest what we did to those kids, and I know you feel the same."

Nesbitt grunted, but had to agree.

"The line between revenge and justice is often very blurred," Lector said. "Sometimes it seems like the only real justice is something closer to revenge or vengeance."

"That's definitely how I feel," Nesbitt growled. He hesitated. "You're usually trying to stop me from acting on my feelings these days, so I've wondered how strongly you still feel about vengeance."

"Usually you're behaving completely recklessly and it wouldn't help anything anyway," Lector pointed out. "And it's hard to ignore the problem that we're trying to be good and the law takes a dim view of taking vengeance." He frowned. "Even if I believe it's justified, I don't want to cause any of us to get into a situation we can't easily get out of because we took revenge on someone who's hurt us."

"It gets even stickier now that we're protectors of the world," Nesbitt said. "Technically, we could probably take vengeance on some enemies and use the excuse of stopping their plans, like the Pharaoh and Yami Bakura can."

"They genuinely _are_ trying to stop the plans," Lector countered. "But I'm sure their personal feelings often enter into the equations as well. Meanwhile, our rings won't even activate unless it's a situation that really _is_ threatening the world." He sighed. "And a lot of the people who hurt us don't even fall into that category."

Nesbitt growled. ". . . So what would you do if you ended up faced with a situation where even you just felt you had to see justice done because it wasn't going to happen otherwise?"

Lector fell silent. Nesbitt was playing on scenarios that had been going through Lector's mind ever since discovering Darcy's latest cruelty. "I don't know," he admitted. "I suppose that would depend on what the situation was and why I felt I had to be the one to see justice done. You know, I never actually tried to take revenge on anyone until we'd been warped by our time in cyberspace."

"No, but you always spoke up if it looked like an injustice happening to someone," Nesbitt said. "That was something I noticed right away after I started working at KaibaCorp."

"I see." Lector smiled a bit in the darkness. "And here I thought you only focused on whatever you saw about me that seemed negative."

"Sometimes I saw _that_ as negative," Nesbitt said. "I'd think you were interfering where you weren't welcome and you should just let them sort it out. But when I started seeing the whole picture instead of being so biased, I saw how those situations could have escalated if you hadn't spoke up."

"I'm glad you were able to get past your first impressions," Lector said. "Although maybe sometimes you were right."

"Eh." Nesbitt shifted on the other bed and the springs creaked in response. "I was mostly just an arrogant fool. Sometimes I still am."

"You haven't been arrogant in quite some time," Lector said. "If you had just replaced it with humility I would be happy, but when you've gone overboard the other direction and often hate yourself, I can't consider it a good thing."

Nesbitt grunted. "It's not something I can easily turn off either."

"No, it isn't. But I hope recent events have been enabling you to start building up your confidence again," Lector said.

"Some," Nesbitt admitted. "But it never helps when I backslide again."

"I know," Lector sighed.

Silence reigned in the room for a longer moment now, so long that Lector had almost managed to believe Nesbitt had fallen asleep. He was about to try settling down himself when Nesbitt suddenly spoke again.

"You've really never been interested in a romantic relationship?"

"Not really," Lector said. "Oh, I certainly wonder from time to time what it might be like, but it's not something I feel I need in my life and I have no desire to try dating. That just seems like a mess."

"Did your parents know how you felt?" Nesbitt asked.

"They must have suspected," Lector said, "but I never had a heart to heart with them about it." He paused. "Why?"

A shrug in the dark. "You know I've kind of hoped you might be an asexual too. It would be nice to have the company."

Lector knew. "I don't know if I am," he said. "I've never considered myself as such."

"Have you ever been attracted to someone at all?" Nesbitt asked. "Even though you're not really interested, you've said you're not actually opposed to a relationship. And the girls seem to find you appealing. . . ."

Lector nodded. "I can appreciate feminine beauty," he said, "but I have never actually been attracted to a specific person, if by that you mean have I ever wanted to pursue a relationship with someone or to imagine myself doing so. Someone else asked me once if I'm a demisexual and only get attracted following a strong emotional connection. I suppose I don't fully know that, since I've never had an emotional connection to a woman other than my family members. I had no connection with my fiancée. You and the rest of the Big Five are the people I have the strongest emotional connections with, and I can assure you I'm not attracted to any of you."

"Good," Nesbitt retorted. "You could be demisexual heteromantic, I guess. . . . Only attracted to the opposite sex, but only if there's a strong emotional connection first."

"To be honest, I don't especially care one way or the other what I am," Lector said. "I don't feel I need to put a label on myself." He paused. "But I wouldn't mind if I was asexual. I would like having that in common with you. Regardless, I can appreciate and understand your feelings on it and we do have similar views on it in a lot of ways. Which is certainly different from our views in other aspects of life."

"Heh. Yeah." Nesbitt stared off at the wall. "I used to hate having so many different views from you because it always led to clashes. It still does, of course."

"But I think we've gotten better at handling it, for the most part," Lector said.

Nesbitt nodded. "I guess." Another silence, followed by a pained grunt.

"Now what?" Lector exclaimed.

"It just occurred to me," Nesbitt scowled. "If you ever met my parents, they wouldn't accept that we're family. They'd try to push me into being interested in you, or at least my mother would. She was so desperate for me to get romantically involved with someone, anyone, because she was sure that something had to be wrong with me for me to never have any interest."

Lector sighed. "Well, hopefully that won't be an issue. But if we ever do meet them, they will simply have to accept that we're brothers."

"They never would," Nesbitt mumbled. He was finally wearing down.

Lector smiled a bit. "We'll see. Goodnight." He relaxed into the bed.

Nesbitt's response was slurred.

xxxx

Serenity was still awake in the room she was sharing with Mai. She sighed, looking over at the other bed. Mai seemed to be fully asleep, and Serenity had to wonder how Mai could be so unbothered about the night's events. Serenity was badly shaken.

Sighing, she got up and quietly walked out on the balcony. No one else was out, and for a moment she just stood and let the night breeze play through her hair. It felt strange to be alone like this. Strange, but not fearful. After walking through an Egyptian tomb by herself, standing on the balcony of a haunted hotel couldn't really compare. Anyway, unlike then, she knew her loved ones were all nearby.

She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the railing. Sometimes that past seemed like another world. She really did wonder sometimes if she and Duke had actually set time back, and yet that didn't seem to make sense either, since the memories of everything that had happened in those days still remained. But for there to be enough time for everything to have happened—the mystery Duke and David had become involved in, David's death, Duke struggling for ages to deal with it and then becoming obsessed with finding a way to bring him back—it seemed like much more time would be needed than the months they had wound up with, as she had observed before. And yet when she tried to remember if things had been different before they had brought David back, if more months or even years had passed, she couldn't seem to.

"_Who are you?"_

She jumped a mile at the voice on the wind. "Who are _you?_" she countered.

"_You're not all that you seem to be. None of you are, but you especially, there's a strange aura around you."_

"I don't know what you mean," Serenity frowned. "I'm just an ordinary girl."

"_That remains to be seen. I know you're keeping secrets."_

"Why do you care?" Serenity retorted. "You're keeping secrets yourself!"

"_Come to the New Orleans Civic Opera tomorrow."_ The voice was fading, but still audible.

"What?! Wait!" Serenity exclaimed. "Why should I do that?!"

There was no reply.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Yami Bakura was greedily tearing into an order of fried chicken when the knock came on the door. Surprised, Bakura walked over and opened it. "Oh . . . hello, Pharaoh," he greeted.

"Eh?" Yami Bakura looked up.

"Hello, Bakura," Atem said. "May I come in?"

"Of course." Bakura stepped aside and allowed him entry.

Yami Bakura just grunted. "What is it you want, Pharaoh? As you can see, I am quite occupied for the moment."

Atem sighed. "I still want to locate Darcy Broussard. I feel we need to check her house."

"She won't be there," Yami Bakura retorted with a mouthful of meat.

"Most likely not, but I still need to try," Atem said. "It's the only lead we have."

"You could also find out her family's home from Lector," Yami Bakura said.

"And I will do that," Atem said. "If I have to."

"Ah." Yami Bakura finally stopped eating and licked his lips. "I see now. You don't want to involve anyone else except possibly me."

"Yes, that's right," Atem agreed. "Will you come with me?"

Yami Bakura shrugged. "I suppose. But if I determine that she needs to be sent to the Shadow Realm instead of Mind-Crushed, will you abide by that?"

Atem sighed. "Sometimes the Shadow Realm is the only way. Although it seems like people are escaping from there on a regular basis lately." He frowned.

"Apparently due to that demon's interference," Yami Bakura said. "Perhaps we need to find another realm to send delinquents to."

"Well, right now we don't have one," Atem retorted. "I'd like to leave now."

"Fine." Yami Bakura got up and placed the rest of the food in the mini-fridge.

Bakura watched. "I don't like the thought of you two going," he said.

"Well, you can't come. You need to stay here and alert everyone else if we don't return within a reasonable amount of time," Yami Bakura countered.

"Not to mention you don't want her using me as a bartering chip again," Bakura sighed. "I don't want that either. Very well then; I'll stay here."

"Good." Yami Bakura wiped the grease off his hands and grabbed the rental car keys. "We'll keep in touch with the Pharaoh's cellphone."

"Sometime we really do need to get one for you, Yami," Bakura remarked.

"We'll worry about that later," Yami Bakura answered as he headed out the door with Atem.

xxxx

Still unable to sleep and now creeped out by the mysterious encounter with the unseen ghost, Serenity had slipped out of the room altogether and was looking around for anyone else who might still be up. To her relief, she found Evangeline sitting on a plush bench in front of a window at the end of the hall.

"Oh . . . hi," Serenity greeted. "I thought you and Angelique would have gone home. . . ."

Evangeline sighed and managed a small smile. "We thought maybe we should stay here as long as all of you are here. You can't sleep either?"

Serenity sat down next to her. "No. . . . There's just too much happening. I'm wondering about Mako's dad now too, and I feel awful for poor Mr. Lector. . . . Having to see his ex-fiancée again, and her being such a horrible person. . . ." She shuddered.

"Yeah." Evangeline looked away. "I was barely even born when they were engaged, but I still recognized her because her family's in the local news a lot. I never liked her. Now I sure know my feelings were justified."

"They sure were." Serenity looked down.

"It looks like she's either gotten into some corrupted _vodun_ or something else bad," Evangeline frowned. "I'm afraid we haven't seen the last of her by a long shot."

"I'm really worried about what else she might do," Serenity said. "What if she really did bring the ghosts here?"

"I'd like to try to ask the ghosts and get them to answer me," Evangeline said. "But they might not."

Serenity sighed. ". . . Oh hey, do you know where the New Orleans Civic Opera is?"

Evangeline froze. "It's in the French Quarter. Why?"

Serenity bit her lip. "Well, this is going to sound weird, but . . . I heard a ghost talking to me out on the balcony and it wants me to go there tomorrow." She shivered. "It seems to think I know something it wants to know."

"That's not good." Evangeline straightened. "Angelique told me about the Civic Opera. That's where that bizarre mystery went down in the 1870s!"

"No way!" Serenity gasped. "Do you think there's a connection?"

"We _were_ in the house owned by the people involved," Evangeline mused. "Maybe one of their ghosts latched onto you for some reason and came back with us. But . . . why?"

"I don't know," Serenity said helplessly.

"What exactly did the ghost say?" Evangeline pressed.

". . . It said . . . there's a strange aura around me," Serenity remembered. "And that it knew I was keeping secrets. . . ."

Evangeline considered that. "I think all of us have seen that you're holding something back," she said. "But we haven't pried because it's not our business. Whatever it is, it has to do with Duke and David, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Serenity said slowly. "A few people know everything. . . . Joey does, and Yugi, Tristan, and Téa. . . . But a lot of the others don't. . . . Mr. Kaiba still wonders what happened. And now some ghost wonders what happened!" she moaned. "What do I even do about that?!"

"Honestly, I would recommend not doing anything," Evangeline said wryly. "Let the ghost wonder. But . . ." She sighed. "I want to get the ghosts out of here. Maybe if you play along, that ghost will be nice and tell the ghosts here to move out."

"That would be nice," Serenity said. "But what if that doesn't happen?"

"I don't know anymore," Evangeline groaned. "And of course I don't want to put you in any possible danger." She slumped forward and rested her arms on her knees. "For all we know, by indulging the ghost you might end up hurt."

"Well . . . the ghost didn't say I had to go alone," Serenity said. "We could all go."

Evangeline smiled a bit. "I certainly intend to go."

Serenity smiled too. "Thank you." She paused. "You know, I'm really glad we met you and Angelique. You've both been really good friends for us."

"That goes both ways," Evangeline said, laying a hand on Serenity's. "And I'm so happy Démas has all of you as his friends. He used to be kind of close with some people here in New Orleans, but that just didn't seem to stand the test of time. I know he felt badly about it, even though he never said anything. But now he has friends who really love him enough to want to stay in touch with him."

"That's true," Serenity said. "I know we'll all always be friends, and the Big Five will always be family, too." She hesitated. "Those friends Mr. Lector used to have. . . . Are they still around?"

"Some are. Some moved away." Evangeline sighed. "Sometimes I see one of them on the street and he'll ask about Démas, but I don't think any of them ever makes the effort to contact him."

"I guess he could try to contact them sometime," Serenity said.

"He used to try to keep in touch with all of them," Evangeline said. "They were the ones who stopped responding. So finally he just gave up."

Serenity frowned. "That's sad."

"I know." Evangeline got up. "I think New Orleans mostly holds sad memories for Démas now. I'm sure he wishes he never had to come back."

Serenity stood too. "I'm sure he still loves the city itself," she protested. "But more than that, as long as you're here, there will always be happy memories too. And he will always want to keep coming back."

Evangeline smiled a bit. "You're right. Sometimes I wish I felt like moving to Domino City to be close to him and all of you, but I still love New Orleans too much. I don't think I could ever leave."

"Some people are always happy with where they grew up," Serenity said. "I think that's great. I've always loved Domino City, so I understand how you love New Orleans. When Mom took me away, I never stopped longing to go back. I'm so happy she finally decided we could live there again."

"That's wonderful," Evangeline said. "And I guess we should both try to get some sleep if we're going out to the Civic Opera tomorrow."

"Yeah," Serenity said. "Some of us might be going with Mako too. After today, I think it would be better if he didn't have to travel around alone."

"Hopefully he won't have any more disturbing supernatural encounters," Evangeline said emphatically. "But I know what you mean. I definitely think someone should go with him." She frowned. "Actually, I probably should. Or Démas. We know the most about the areas where Akio Tsunami stayed."

"Well, maybe we should all go to the Civic Opera and then all go with Mako," Serenity said.

Evangeline nodded. "If Mako would be okay with the detour to the opera house, that sounds good to me."

"I don't think he'd mind," Serenity said.

By now they had walked down the hall to Evangeline and Angelique's room. Serenity moved to her and Mai's door across from it.

"Well," Evangeline said, "I'll see you in the morning. . . . Or afternoon, judging by how late it is now." She smirked.

Serenity laughed. "Yeah. We might all end up sleeping in."

They bade each other Goodnight and went into their respective rooms.

Angelique was sitting up in bed when Evangeline entered. Distress flickered in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Evangeline frowned.

"I woke up feeling like something was watching me." Angelique gripped the quilt. "Can't we ever get away from ghosts?! Sometimes I feel like I'd rather not live in New Orleans if this is what's always going to happen."

Evangeline sighed. "The ghosts could end up following us anywhere we try to go."

"Well, they shouldn't," Angelique bitterly replied.

"I wish they wouldn't," Evangeline had to admit.

xxxx

Darcy Broussard's house was completely in darkness when Yami Bakura pulled up in front. "There, you see?" he grunted. "She's either not home or she's waiting in darkness for us to show up so she can ambush us."

Atem frowned as the huge willow cast eerie shadows on the structure. "We'll have to try," he said. "I'll be careful."

"It's pointless," Yami Bakura shrugged. But he got out of the van and followed Atem up the walkway.

Reaching the porch, Atem tried the door and found it locked. He crossed to the window instead and peered inside. "I don't see anything."

"I have a question," Yami Bakura grunted. "Why are we concerning ourselves so much with this person over some of our other enemies?"

Atem sighed in frustration. "For that matter, we probably should have tried these methods on those enemies as well. But you were the first one to speak up about this woman, so perhaps I should turn the question back on you. Why?"

Yami Bakura just shrugged. "I suppose you'll have to ask Lector why he asked me to interfere. Perhaps he's just gotten fed-up with all the disasters and the Big Five's inability to do anything about them unless the entire world is threatened. I am not bound by such a stipulation."

"Alright. But then why are you so disinterested in going after her now?" Atem persisted. He tried the window. It was also locked.

"Because I don't think she's here," Yami Bakura said. "I think this is a waste of time and I'd rather be back at the hotel eating meat. I'm sure she'll turn up again when we least expect or want her to."

Atem had to admit that all seemed quite likely by this point. After walking around the entire length of the property, it definitely looked as though no one was home.

"I also think we should find out more about the extent of her powers before meeting her again," Yami Bakura said. "We don't want to be taken by surprise."

"I agree, but who will give us an honest answer?" Atem countered.

"Maybe no one. Maybe her family. According to Lector, she's changed from when he knew her. We need to find out when it happened, why, and how much." Yami Bakura headed for the van. "Let's go."

Atem followed without protest. "You're actually quite calculating," he remarked.

"You're surprised?" Yami Bakura retorted. "I plotted for millennia on how to make everything go my way, and I stayed in the shadows as long as situations weren't favorable for me to come forward with my master plan."

"I suppose I wasn't sure how much was you and how much was Zorc," Atem said.

"Don't think I haven't wondered that myself." Yami Bakura arrived at the rented vehicle and got into the driver's seat. "But I finally remembered that I was like that long before Zorc started poisoning me."

Atem climbed into the passenger seat. "You've done very well for yourself since you received the Infinity Ring," he said. "I know others have told you that, but I wanted to tell you myself. I never thought you could be capable of it in the past."

"No one thought it less than I did," Yami Bakura flatly retorted. "And I still don't know what to think about this ultimate battle I'm being saved for. We've been fighting so many bizarre enemies. What on Earth could this ultimate battle entail?"

"I don't know, but I believe you will pass the test when the time comes," Atem said. "Especially after seeing how the Big Five have become our very capable and trustworthy allies and even dear friends."

"Heh. I was far worse than anything wrong they did," Yami Bakura pointed out.

"But once again, I don't know how much was you and how much was Zorc," Atem said. "And free of Zorc's evil, you have proved you are also capable and trustworthy . . . even if we still disagree on methods."

"I suppose," Yami Bakura grudgingly acknowledged.

xxxx

To Bakura's relief, they arrived back at the hotel without incident and the rest of the night passed in relative peace. The autumn morning dawned overcast and chilly, but Mako was more than ready for a day of exploring—and he didn't mind going to the Civic Opera first.

"For all I know, perhaps my father was there on occasion," he said at breakfast.

"He liked opera?" Joey blinked.

"His host family may have," Mako said. "He would have been polite and attended with them if invited."

"Is it even still being used as an opera house?" Duke suddenly wondered. He was less than thrilled with Serenity's story. The ghosts they had encountered in the city had mostly been unfriendly, and one of them setting its sights on Serenity made him very suspicious and worried.

"It sometimes is, usually for special commemorative performances," Angelique explained. "It's also partially a museum." She hesitated. "People can even tour the tunnels and rooms underground that were used in the kidnap scheme."

"Oh gee, how nice," Crump grunted.

Joey looked on edge. "Hey, is this place . . . haunted or anything? I mean, besides the ghost that was talking to Serenity who's apparently going to be there."

"People have reported supernatural activity for years," Angelique agreed. "Usually it's things like footsteps on the stage or the lights adjusting themselves. Sometimes a sandbag falls down. No one knows for sure who it is, but many suspect it's the restless spirit of Caroline Mason." She explained Caroline's story again for those who hadn't heard her tell it the previous night.

"Wow," Téa said softly. "That's really sad."

"And really messed-up," Tristan added. "Yeah, if she was that twisted in life, I could see her not finding any peace after death."

"There are other spectres too," Angelique continued. "One seems to be the ghost of my ancestor, Pierre de Luc, who was killed onstage." Her eyes darkened. "He was the uncle of my great-great-grandmother who was apparently mixed up in the kidnap plot."

Joey quaked. "Oh well, that's just great!" he exclaimed. "And what do you think he hangs around for?!"

"Maybe because of his violent death. Maybe because of the crimes he was mixed up in." Angelique shook her head. "I don't know. I used to go there sometimes trying to see him, but I never did."

"Maybe he regrets what he did," Johnson quietly suggested. "Maybe that's why he can't find peace now."

"Maybe." Angelique got up from the table. "Well, if you're all done eating, we'd better get going. There's a lot to do and it's supposed to rain later today."

Everyone else started to stand as well. Joey looked worriedly to Serenity. "Are you really sure about this, Sis?" he asked, even though he knew what her answer would be.

"Of course I'm sure, Joey," Serenity insisted. "I need to know why that ghost was talking to me. Maybe finding out will even help all of us."

"That, I doubt," David spoke up. "But I guess the ghost will probably keep bothering you if we don't investigate."

Serenity nodded. "Exactly. Oh by the way, Duke, did you get Snakes called?"

"No, I haven't yet," Duke said in chagrin. "There was so much going on last night that I didn't get around to that. I'll call him based on what we find out at the theatre."

"That sounds good," Serenity smiled.

xxxx

It wasn't long before the groups made their way to the New Orleans Civic Opera. Their vehicles were the only ones in the parking lot, and several of them frowned in concern.

"Are we even going to be able to get inside?" Nesbitt wondered.

Angelique nodded. "We can take the secret way." She walked over to the back wall and pressed in a specific spot. A panel swung inward.

"So . . . don't a lot of people find the secret way?" Crump blinked.

"You'd think so, but it's stayed pretty secret," Angelique said.

They all followed her into the darkened auditorium and the panel swung shut behind the last one in line.

"It was an amazing place in its day," Angelique said. "They've still tried to preserve some of the original architecture and seating."

"Have you ever been here before?" Nesbitt curiously asked Lector.

"Not really," Lector said. "My father insisted on only frequenting the best opera houses, not ones whose heyday had ended."

"Figures," Crump grunted. "Do you even like opera?"

"Sometimes," Lector said. "It depends on the opera."

"So . . . where are we, exactly?" Téa asked.

"Onstage." Angelique reached for the wall and flipped a lightswitch. The area brightened, but still only dimly. An eerie breeze wafted across the space.

"Hello?" Serenity called. "Are you here? You didn't say I had to come alone, so I brought everyone. I hope that's okay."

At first there was silence. But just when they were all starting to think that the breeze had nothing to do with the ghost, a disembodied voice spoke.

"_I know one of your party was dead and brought back to life."_

"Just one?" Crump cracked. "Actually, lady, that happened to several of us."

"_But it only happened for one after an extended period of time. The rest of you were restored almost right away."_

David swallowed hard. ". . . Just how do you know that?" He took a step back. It was uncomfortable for some strange spirit to be aware of that aspect of his past. Although when he thought about it, he supposed it made a disturbing sense that they could sense the aura of the dead around him.

"_I feel things. And I've spent the night gathering whispers of information. I know the girl was partially responsible for restoring you."_

Duke stepped forward. "So was I," he retorted, not liking the spectre picking on Serenity when they didn't even know why.

"_Yes, that's true. You both tampered with what you shouldn't have."_ A pause, and the air around them rippled into the form of a woman. _"Now, I want one or both of you to do it again, for me."_

". . . You want us to turn back time so you can live again?" Duke realized.

Serenity gasped. "But . . . we were only able to do that with a special amethyst!" she protested. "And it's gone now!"

More ripples in the air, this time filled with anger. _"Then you will have to either get it back or find another way to accomplish the same thing,"_ the phantom told them.

"And just why is that?" Duke retorted.

"_Because if you don't . . ." _The ghost's eyes darkened in hate as she began to ripple and fade into the air around them. _"None of your loved ones will leave this city alive."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Everyone stood in stunned shock and horror for a long moment.

". . . I guess there's no hope that was a trick done with science," Crump said at last.

"As much as I want to say Yes, it probably wasn't," Seto growled.

"Of course it's possible," Nesbitt pounced. ". . . But we'd still have to wonder how the perpetrator found out all that information that's apparently true?" He looked to Duke and Serenity.

Duke had his arm around a badly shaken Serenity. "There's no way they could know those things without a connection to the supernatural," he said.

"Then it really is all true?" Seto sighed with a heavy heart. He really had wondered on multiple occasions why David was alive when Seto remembered him as being dead, but Duke and Serenity hadn't wanted to talk about it and Seto had been content not to know, fearing the answer was supernatural.

"It's true," Duke confessed.

"What's worse is that I think that ghost was in the image of Caroline Mason," Angelique finally spoke. "I've seen paintings of her."

"Yeah!" Joey spoke up. "That ghost looked just like the picture I saw in that creepy shrine room!"

"Someone could have found out what she looked like from the same paintings and made a holographic projection," Nesbitt insisted.

"Yes, but considering our luck, do you really believe that?" Gansley countered.

". . . No," Nesbitt scowled.

"And what are we going to do?" Serenity moaned. "There isn't any way we can do what she wants!"

"If it is genuine, then it would seem the only way to resolve the situation would be to help Caroline Mason be at peace," Ishizu said. "Unfortunately, from what Angelique has said and what we have witnessed, it will not be easy to achieve that victory."

"In death she'd have her normal voice again, wouldn't she?" David frowned. "If she's not satisfied with that, it's probably impossible to get her to be at peace."

"Maybe she hasn't been able to reunite with the man she loved," Serenity said. "That could keep her restless."

"Or maybe she just wants the fame and glory she missed out on when her voice was damaged," Duke said. "Unfortunately, she could only have that if we could restore her to life, and we can't do that." He slumped back, bringing a hand to his forehead. "Ugh."

". . . Maybe now would be a good time to call Snakes," David said.

"It couldn't hurt." Duke stepped away with his phone.

"Meanwhile, perhaps we could visit the family that hosted my father during his stay here?" Mako said hopefully. "I learned of their address; they still live here."

"Let's do that," Serenity said, relieved at the thought of getting away from the eerie old theatre.

". . . I wonder if we should investigate the tunnels and secret rooms that were part of the kidnapping scheme," Atem said.

"What good would that do? Besides scaring Joey, that is," Seto grunted with heavy sarcasm.

"Hey," Joey scowled.

"If nothing else, we could make sure no one living is hiding down there or setting up things like this ghost stunt with science," Atem replied.

"There's a trapdoor on the stage," Angelique said. "But the main entrance into the tunnels is through a fake closet in Pierre de Luc's wardrobe room."

"Let's check it out," Tristan said. "The Pharaoh's right; maybe it would be useful."

"If the ghost image really was done with science, though, the source would be up here, not in the tunnels," Nesbitt objected.

"Then we'll look up here first," Lector said.

Most of the group spread out to look over the length of the stage and everything around and above it. Duke, still on the phone, turned to watch them while listening to Snakes explain what he knew from his Secret Service friends about the case. He was the first to see the stage light begin to wobble in the shadows, right above where Yugi and Téa were searching around the curtain.

"Hey, look out!" he cried.

They both jumped.

"Yugi!" Téa exclaimed. She grabbed her friend and dived out of the way just as the heavy light crashed to the stage with a sickening shattering of glass.

Yugi looked back over his shoulder with wide eyes. "Oh wow!" he gasped. "How did that happen?!"

Atem ran over to look. "There's no indication of any foul play," he finally reported. "It could have simply been loose and weak from bad maintenance, but more likely . . ."

"The ghost loosened it," Duke grimly finished.

"What is going on over there?!" Snakes demanded. "Can't you kids ever stay out of trouble for more than two seconds?!"

Duke grunted. "Look who's talking."

"Eh. I haven't been in trouble for a while now. Actually, I'm surprised about that," Snakes muttered. "Anyway, I can't add much more to your knowledge of the case except that those nuts who were kidnapping divas called themselves The Order of Lucia. And I remember Jim said that Pierre de Luc didn't wanna be mixed up in it but he felt forced to do it. Caroline Mason threatened his niece's life if he didn't comply."

"Oh, she sure was a winner," Duke scowled. "Well, I'm sure the present-day Angelique will be happy to know this. She just found out last night about Pierre de Luc's involvement in the Order and she's been really upset about it."

"Yeah, you let her know. And you be careful!" Snakes exclaimed. "It doesn't sound like death has done anything for Caroline Mason's personality."

David was standing near enough to hear Snakes' side of the conversation. "To put it mildly," he commented.

Angelique was indeed happy to hear the news that her ancestor had only been involved because of trying to protect his niece. But she was more than a little dismayed that her great-great-grandmother's life had been threatened in the first place.

"I don't see any sense in going through the tunnels," she said. "If Caroline Mason's ghost is really after us, we'd be giving her a home-field advantage down there! Let's just get out of here before she tries to do anything else to us!"

"As I see it, the question is whether she truly is responsible or if someone is trying to scare us into believing it," Mako said. "What about that Darcy Broussard woman? Perhaps this is all part of her scheme to hurt her former fiancé and the people he cares about."

"I wouldn't put it past her," Lector said. "But she seems to be in contact with evil spirits. She could have put Caroline Mason up to this. Although from everything we're hearing, it sounds like Caroline Mason could very easily have gotten the idea on her own."

"Let's get out of here," Téa pleaded. "We need to help Mako try to find more information on his dad, and maybe we can also look up Darcy's family and find out more about her from them."

It didn't take much to get the majority of the group to agree to that, and Angelique led them back out through the secret passage.

". . . You know, I wonder what the staff's gonna think when they show up and find that light smashed all over the stage," Crump remarked.

"They'll probably think it was old," Seto grunted. "And maybe it was."

"Well, so what should we do first?" Marik wondered.

"Darcy's family doesn't live around here," Lector said, "but I don't suppose Mr. Tsunami's host family does either."

"Quite right! Here is the address of my father's host family." Mako held out a scrap of paper on which he had scribbled the address.

Lector took it. ". . . Is this the right address?!" he exclaimed.

"Why, yes," Mako frowned. "Why?"

"It's Darcy's aunt and uncle, the Allemans!" Lector cried.

"Please tell me you're kidding," Johnson groaned.

Evangeline rushed over to look at the address too. "I never knew they were related!" she gasped. "Adele always talked about them being so nice. But of course, being in the same family doesn't mean much. Démas and Gabriel and I are nothing like the rest of our _dear_ relations."

Lector nodded. "They may either have no knowledge of Darcy's cruelty or else they know but don't agree with it." He sighed and headed for the car. "Let's go over there and see what they have to say."

"By the way, speaking of your family, are you still planning to ask Phillipe if he brought your ghosts?" Duke asked Evangeline, who scowled.

"I don't really think he did. It was probably Darcy. But . . . yes, I suppose we should still ask. Not that he'd even admit it if he did." Evangeline followed Lector into the car.

"Man, this case just keeps getting weirder and creepier," Joey whimpered.

"Well, it's not like that's unusual for us," Tristan retorted.

"It would probably be stranger if it wasn't weird, unfortunately," Bakura remarked.

No one could disagree.

xxxx

Akio Tsunami's host family lived on a pleasant street in an upper middle class neighborhood near Lector's and Evangeline's family home. The beautiful two-story gray house looked both inviting and homey, and the three-car garage spoke of the residents' wealth.

"I have a question," Téa said. "Why didn't you try talking to these people before, Mako?"

"A fair question," Mako said. "I knew before about my father living in New Orleans for a while and staying with this host family, but I had been following up other possible leads first. For a long time I believed my father was somewhere on a coastal area, washed ashore by the storm and then staying where he was. But I have recently decided to branch out and examine every possible lead, no matter how unlikely."

"Don't you find it inconceivable that he would really keep you hanging like this?" Yami Bakura couldn't refrain from asking.

Mako looked away. "I know there must be a reason. Perhaps he has been so badly injured that he can no longer return to the sea, and he is ashamed and broken. Perhaps he feels he has failed me and he cannot bear to face me."

"You were a child when the storm hit," Yami Bakura persisted. "What kind of man would leave a small child to fend for himself? That truly is failing him." His eyes darkened. He knew what it was to be all alone at a very young age, although in his case his family hadn't been given a choice.

Mako clenched a fist at his side. "I know that once I know the truth, everything will make sense." He walked past Yami Bakura and up the walkway to the house.

Yami Bakura grunted. "He's hopeless."

"I have the feeling that deep down, he has the same questions, Yami," Bakura said. "And yet he can't make himself believe that his father is doing anything wrong on purpose. But nor can he believe that the man is dead. It really does present a problem."

"He's foolishly deluding himself, and deep down, he knows it," Yami Bakura insisted.

"He said he knows his dad is alive," Yugi said. "We all know what it is to have powerful feelings like that, and usually they turn out to be true even if it seems like they couldn't possibly be."

"Then none of you know what it's like to believe something with all your heart only to discover it isn't true." Yami Bakura walked past them and up to the porch.

Bakura bit his lip. "I think this is affecting Yami more than he will admit too. He was on his own since he was six years old. He knows how horrible it is. Naturally he would be upset to think of a father deliberately leaving their child alone so young." He looked away. "I don't think even my father would have abandoned me in the middle of a storm."

"I don't think Mako can bear to believe that either," Atem said quietly. "Although I must say that if the man isn't in a coma or stricken with amnesia, there is no excuse for not coming forward."

Lector certainly agreed.

"Are you gonna feel like going up there and seeing them, Buddy?" Crump asked him.

Lector looked to the porch as the door opened in response to Mako's knocks. "I don't, really," he confessed. "But I don't want to judge them based on Darcy. They don't deserve that." He sighed. "Let's go up."

The person who had opened the door was a teenage girl. She regarded Mako in surprise and confusion. "Um, hi?"

"Hello," Mako greeted. "I am Mako Tsunami, son of Akio Tsunami, who was once an exchange student in this house. I wanted to speak with your . . . parents about him."

The girl's eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh . . . Akio! My _grand_parents talk about him all the time. They miss him. Come on in! I'll let them know you're here."

"Thank you." Mako stepped into the entryway, followed by Yami Bakura and the rest of the expansive group. Lector, despite partially wanting to hang back, forced himself to move to the front.

It didn't take long for a surprised older couple to appear from a back room of the house. "Akio's son!" the woman exclaimed.

"We wanted to find you, but we didn't know where to look," the man said. "We tried a few things, but we lost your trail."

"You wanted to find me?" Mako said in surprise.

"Yes," Mrs. Alleman nodded. "After your father was . . . lost, we wanted to take you in so you wouldn't be alone." She glanced around the room and suddenly gasped. "Démas Lector?!"

"Yes," Lector said quietly. "I became acquainted with Mr. Tsunami because his father went to school with my sister."

"Well . . ." Mr. Alleman smiled. "I'm still sorry we missed out on having you as our nephew, but I can't say I'm sorry that you didn't marry Darcy." He shook his head. "You were always too good for her."

Lector's eyes flickered in surprise. "Sir?"

Evangeline also looked amazed.

"Oh, we know all about our niece's antics," Mrs. Alleman sighed. "Her parents don't care, but we're at a complete loss for how to deal with her."

"Do you know what she did last night?" Crump blurted.

They looked alarmed. "What did she do?" Mr. Alleman asked. "We didn't even know you'd seen her again."

"I hadn't seen her in over twenty years until last night," Lector admitted. "She was over at Antoine Isidore's house."

"Yeah! She was all into evil spirits possessing people and she tried to have one possess Lector and kill Nesbitt!" Crump exclaimed, gesturing wildly at their friend.

Now horror filled the couple's eyes.

"Oh no," Mrs. Alleman gasped.

"We knew she never forgave you for breaking off the engagement, but we had no idea she would take it that far," Mr. Alleman exclaimed.

"Thankfully, I was too strong to allow that to happen," Lector said, "but we can't let her get away with this. She disappeared with her evil spirits and we haven't been able to find her."

"She apparently didn't go back to her house," Atem added.

Mr. Alleman's brow furrowed in concern. "Well, I'm afraid we don't know where she might be. She knows we don't approve of her behavior and she hasn't associated much with us lately."

"What about my father, Sir?" Mako interrupted. "Is there anything you can tell me about him?"

"We can tell you a lot about him, Mako," Mr. Alleman said. "Let's go in the living room and sit down."

For some time the group visited as the Allemans described Akio's day to day behavior, his interests, and what he enjoyed about America. Mako listened with rapt attention, drinking in all the new information about the man he idolized. By the time the conversation was wearing down, Mako felt that the experience had been very worthwhile even without gaining any clues to his father's current whereabouts.

"Thank you so much for talking with me," he said as they all stood up to leave. "It has been most enlightening."

"Don't be a stranger, Mako," Mrs. Alleman said. "We loved your father very much, and you are like him in so many ways."

Mr. Alleman nodded. "You are welcome here any time you're in town." He looked to his wife. "Do we still have that notebook of Akio's?"

Mrs. Alleman's eyes widened. "That's right! I completely forgot about that in the excitement of seeing Mako! I'll go get it." She got up and hurried out of the room.

Mako stared after her. "What's this about a notebook of my father's?"

"Apparently he left it behind by accident when he moved back to Japan," Mr. Alleman explained. "We found it in his room, but we couldn't find him to get it back to him."

Mrs. Alleman returned holding a well-used notebook. "Here it is," she said. "It's all in Japanese, but I'm sure you can read it."

"Oh yes." Mako reached for it reverently and ran his hand over the worn black cover before opening it and scanning the first page. "This is truly a treasure. Thank you for keeping it all these years."

"We never would have thrown something like that away . . . even though we couldn't read it ourselves," Mrs. Alleman smiled.

The group walked to the front door, followed by the Allemans.

"Oh, Démas . . ." Mrs. Alleman looked to Lector. "We are so sorry about what Darcy tried to do. Please let us know if she comes out again."

"Thank you. I will," Lector said.

"If he can," Nesbitt grunted. "Who knows what will happen if she comes back."

Worry flickered in the Allemans' eyes.

"She certainly has changed from what she was," Mr. Alleman said sadly. "Oh, not that she didn't always have a naughty, spoiled streak in her, but what she did last night . . . !"

"It's certainly a whole new low," Lector remarked.

The group left with mostly pleased feelings. It had been a pleasant surprise to find that Darcy's aunt and uncle were good people, and Mako was thrilled with both the conversation and the notebook.

"That's so awesome they had that, Mako," Téa beamed.

"It most certainly is," Mako smiled, running his hand over the cover before opening it again to look at the characters inside.

"So, what's he say?" Joey asked, trying to peer over Mako's shoulder to look.

"On this first page he's telling how much he's enjoying New Orleans, but that his dream of being a great fisherman hasn't changed," Mako said. "His father sent him here hoping he would find a different aspiration, but it didn't work."

Téa looked down. If Mako's father had found another profession he liked, maybe he would still be alive.

"Well, where are we going from here?" Joey asked. "To see Phillipe?"

"Yes," Evangeline said. "We might as well get it over with."

They climbed back into the vehicles. Mako continued to look over the notebook even as the car he was in started up and pulled into the street.

"You can read while we're moving?" Joey said in disbelief.

"This is nothing compared to reading out on the waters," Mako said, and Joey couldn't disagree.

For a while they drove in relative silence. Then suddenly Mako cried out in shocked surprise, startling everyone with him. "What is it?!" Joey exclaimed.

"These passages in the notebook," Mako said. "My father is talking about how mysterious the city is and how much he enjoys exploring it when he has the chance. He mentions an old opera house with secret tunnels under it. Could he mean the Civic Opera?"

"Well, there could be others, but that's the only one we know of," Joey said.

"So maybe we need to explore under there after all?" Tristan looked wary.

"I believe so," Mako said. "He even says he likes to slip away and go down there when he wants to think about how he's going to achieve his dream of becoming a great fisherman. He would rather be out on the water, but he isn't always able to get a boat."

"Surely you don't think he's hiding in the tunnels now," Mai objected.

"No, most likely not," Mako said. "Especially not if tourists are always going down there. But he may have left other clues. And in any case, I should like to see them when it was a place he enjoyed frequenting."

Joey looked at Tristan and cringed. "Then I guess we're going back there after we talk to Phillipe," he groaned.

Tristan didn't look any more thrilled. "Let's just hope the ghosts don't lock us in down there," he gulped.

"I'm hopin', I'm hopin'!" Joey quaked.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Phillipe looked less than thrilled when the vehicles drove up and parked in front of the house he shared with Michel and Evangeline got out. He gripped the white picket fence, his knuckles going white.

"I knew you'd be coming by," he commented. "Mom called me last night and warned me."

"Oh, well, that figures," Evangeline spat.

"I didn't put the ghosts in the hotel, Evangeline," Phillipe insisted. "Someone else must have done it."

"There _is_ another suspect," Evangeline said coolly. "But I still wanted to ask you too . . . even though I knew you'd deny it."

"It's the truth," Phillipe snapped.

"I hope so," Evangeline said, flipping her hair around her shoulder.

Lector sighed to himself and opened the door on his side of the car. He hadn't planned to enter into this conversation, but now he felt he should. It was strange; if Evangeline wasn't there and very bitter, Lector might very well be speaking similarly to Phillipe. But seeing Evangeline's bitterness was making him want to try approaching the situation differently.

"How are you and Michel, Phillipe?" he asked.

"We're alright," Phillipe said smoothly, warily. He studied Lector with suspicious eyes. He knew of Lector's vindictive, justice-driven nature. It was hard for him to believe that Lector was sincere in his questions now.

Lector just nodded. "Good." He looked to Evangeline. "Let's go, Evangeline. There's no point hanging around here."

"You're right," Evangeline said. She got back in the car and Lector quickly followed.

"Goodbye, Brother," he said to Phillipe, who gave him a wary look in response.

The ride back to the Civic Opera was tense. Lector leaned back in the seat, rubbing his forehead.

"I thought you'd blow up angry too, Démas," Evangeline said.

"I still am angry," Lector admitted. "But it wouldn't serve any purpose for both of us to blow up."

"He's like that with me too," Nesbitt grunted. "He's always trying to keep me in line."

Evangeline smiled a bit. "Well, I think that's wonderful. You have a very good friend and I have a very good brother." She stuck her arm under Lector's and grasped his hand.

Lector smiled too.

xxxx

The Civic Opera was still vacant when they pulled into the parking lot for the second time that day. Angelique led them back to the secret entrance.

"I have a dumb question," Tristan said. "I thought when we were here before it was just too early for the place to be open, but now it's still closed. Why?"

"They're not open every day," Angelique said. "There's no operas in the works right now and tours are usually by appointment only." She pushed on the wall and it flipped open, allowing them all to slip inside.

"Man, I was hopin' not to have to come back here," Joey moaned.

"You could always leave, Wheeler," Seto grunted. "Actually, there's no real need for all of us to be here. I'd rather Mokuba went back to the hotel."

Mokuba sighed. "I really wish I could help, Seto. . . ." He frowned. "But people keep getting hurt saving me, so it probably really is better if I'm not here. . . ."

Seto exchanged a concerned look with Marik and Lector. Mokuba hadn't said anything about that subject in a while, but it shouldn't be a surprise that it still weighed heavy on his mind and heart.

"Mokuba, you've helped us all a great deal," Marik said. "I might not be alive if not for you. You saved me the first time we were in New Orleans."

"That's right," Lector said. "And all of us might still be in the Shadow Realm drowning in fear and hate."

Mokuba managed a smile. "I really helped, huh?"

"Definitely," Marik said.

"We owe so much to you, Mokuba," Gansley said.

Mokuba cheered up a great deal as they wandered around the stage, looking for either the trapdoor or the wardrobe room. There was an almost tangible feeling of eyes watching them all, as well as a feeling of danger that increased the longer they lingered.

"I don't like this," Lector soon said. "It feels far too much like the forbidden wing in Evangeline's and Angelique's house."

"It sure is creepy," Téa admitted.

"I don't think we're going to have much, if any, luck here," Atem said. "It was probably a mistake to come back while Caroline Mason's restless ghost is still around."

Mako frowned. "What happened in this forbidden wing?" he asked. He certainly didn't want to endanger any of his friends, but he also wanted desperately to explore the tunnels that his father had written about so enthusiastically.

"The evil ghost of our stepdad made Nesbitt get hurt falling down the stairs," Mokuba said bitterly. "And then he made Nesbitt forget Lector!"

Both Lector and Nesbitt flinched. It wasn't something they liked to talk about, although they still thought about what had happened more often than they wanted to admit.

"That's outrageous!" Mako exclaimed. "I can't ask all of you to stay here with me if there might be any other danger afoot."

"Well, we can't let you stay here alone, either," Téa retorted.

"Come on, Mako, let's just leave," Joey pleaded.

Mako sighed but nodded. "You are most likely right. Somehow we must find a way to pacify this spirit before we can undergo our search. We'll leave." He turned to lead them back the other way.

At that moment the spectral form of a heavy, dark-skinned man appeared near the backstage curtains. Everyone jumped.

"Pierre de Luc?!" Angelique exclaimed.

The spirit's eyes were wide in panic and horror. He pointed to stage right, desperate to get their attention. But when they turned to look, nothing was there.

"What is it?!" Angelique demanded. "We don't understand . . ."

Without warning a gust of icy wind rushed across the stage, blowing particularly hard at Serenity. She screamed in stunned surprise as she was quite literally blown off her feet. The floor opened up underneath her.

"_Serenity!" _Joey, Duke, and Tristan all cried with equal horror. They lunged, but they knew they weren't close enough.

It was Johnson who was nearest to the girl at the moment. He grabbed for her hand but soon found that a mysterious force was pulling Serenity through the opening trapdoor no matter what he did. And now he was falling as well.

"Johnson!" Gansley wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist, but it was no use. All three of them tumbled through the trapdoor, which soundly closed up after them.

"No!" Joey ran over and fell to his knees, banging on the door.

Lector was frozen in sickened shock. Finally, desperately trying to shake himself out of his state, he turned to run backstage. The trapdoor clearly wasn't about to open again any time soon. They would have to try the other way down.

Crump was immediately on his heels. "We're gonna get to them!" he called after Lector. "We've gotta!"

"But what shape are they going to be in?!" Lector retorted.

"How far is it to the floor?" Mai demanded of Angelique.

"I . . . I don't know," Angelique stammered. "I know it's far. . . ."

"They'll be hurt!" Nesbitt snarled.

"We have to get down there!" Tristan ran for the backstage area. "Where's the wardrobe room?!"

Duke was right on his heels. "It has to be around here somewhere! . . ."

Shaken, Mako chased after them. "This is all my fault," he said in dismay. "If only I hadn't been so insistent on seeing in the tunnels! You had all already decided it was too dangerous to go down there right now!"

"You can't blame yourself, Mako," Téa said. "You just wanted so bad to find out something more about your dad. And it was our choice to stay here with you."

"The wardrobe room's over here!" Duke yelled from stage right. "Come on!"

The group ran towards the sound of his voice, praying they wouldn't be too late.

xxxx

Serenity groaned as she began to gather her senses. The fall had badly stunned her, but oddly enough, she didn't seem to be hurt like she thought she would be. . . . When she started to push herself up and her hands pressed on what seemed to be an overweight body, she knew why.

"Mr. Gansley?!" she shrieked. "Mr. Johnson?!"

Both men were sprawled on the floor, Serenity draped horizontally across them. In horror she pushed herself up and slid to the floor, not wanting to hurt them any further than they already were.

It was Gansley who stirred. "What's going on?" he grunted.

"I'm so sorry!" Serenity sobbed. "I was falling and Mr. Johnson tried to save me, and you tried to save him, and we all fell! And . . . Mr. Johnson isn't waking up. . . ."

Gansley was sitting up in an instant. "Johnson?!" He grasped his friend's shoulder, but there was no response.

A dim light suddenly came on nearby, brightening things enough that they could clearly see the blood near Johnson's left temple.

Gansley paled. "No. . . ." Immediately he brought his fingers to Johnson's throat.

"Is he dead?!" Serenity wailed.

"No, he isn't, but his pulse is weak." Gansley pulled out his phone. As he had feared, it was flashing _No Signal._ He swore, shoving the device back in his pocket.

Serenity stumbled to her feet. "He needs help now! There has to be another way to the surface! I'll go on ahead and look."

Gansley growled. "It's foolish for you to go off by yourself! Something wanted you down here, probably that blasted ghost!"

"Well, you shouldn't leave!" Serenity insisted. "Someone has to stay with Mr. Johnson, and you might be more hurt than you think!"

"The others will be trying to get down to us," Gansley said. "Let's give them time to make it down here." But his heart was racing. Johnson was clearly badly hurt. Every second counted.

Serenity bit her lip. "If only I could just climb back up to the trapdoor we fell through," she said softly, looking up above their heads. The ceiling was far too high, especially when there was nothing she could use to stand on to get up there.

"Well, there's no way you can get up there," Gansley retorted. He started to take off his suitcoat to lay over Johnson.

Serenity responded by running down the hall. "Help!" she screamed. "Mr. Johnson is hurt!"

Gansley gritted his teeth. He should stop her, but part of him couldn't bear to. Maybe she would be able to bring the others to them sooner.

Johnson stirred, turning onto his back. "Gansley?" he mumbled. His voice was slurred, his eyes half-open and bleary.

"Johnson . . . !" Gansley gripped his friend's shoulder. "Are you hurt badly?!"

"Well . . . nothing's broken," Johnson mumbled. "But . . ." He tried to rise and gasped in pain, gripping his forehead as he sank back to the floor.

Gansley caught him and laid him down gently. "You probably have a concussion," he growled. "I won't be able to carry you. We'll just have to pray the others find us soon."

"What about . . . the girl?" Johnson choked out. "Is she alright?"

"She's just fine," Gansley assured him. "You saved her."

"Joseph's sister. . . ." Johnson passed his hand over his eyes. "Who would have ever thought . . . I'd . . ."

"We're all friends now, Johnson," Gansley reminded him. "It's not a huge surprise anymore."

"Friends," Johnson repeated. He weakly reached for Gansley's hand. "My oldest friend. . . ."

Gansley gripped the trembling hand. "Just relax, Johnson. Everything's going to be alright. You're going to be fine." His voice caught in his throat. He had never imagined he would be kneeling under the stage of an old opera house, watching over a badly hurt loved one. It was obvious Johnson wasn't all there, and that terrified Gansley.

"I . . . I'm scared," Johnson whispered.

Gansley's heart was pierced all the more. "There's no need to be," he insisted. "It's alright. They're going to find us."

Johnson grabbed at Gansley's hand with his other hand as well, desperate, frightened. "Without you, I . . . I might have never started to open my heart. . . . I closed myself off to everyone, but you made me start to discover how foolish and wrong I'd been. . . ."

"I know, Johnson, I know," Gansley soothed.

"I don't want to die," Johnson whimpered.

"You're not going to die!" Gansley bellowed. "You're making far too much out of this." But in his heart he knew Johnson might very well be correct in his fears. Blows to the head could be serious.

The feel of Johnson's hands loosening their grip only panicked Gansley all the more. Johnson shuddered, staring off at a point beyond Gansley. "I see that woman," he rasped. "That ghost. . . . She caused this! She's staring at me!"

Gansley looked over his shoulder but saw nothing. That was the final horror. Was Johnson hallucinating . . . or was he so close to death that the ghost couldn't hide from him?

"Thomas. . . ." Gansley's voice broke. They hardly ever called each other by their first names because it just wasn't how they tended to think of each other, but it was a last bit of desperation on Gansley's part. If he couldn't get through to Johnson with that . . . !

Johnson managed a weak smile, but he couldn't gather the strength to speak again. A tear slipped from his eye as they closed.

"Johnson, don't you dare do this!" Gansley cried. He bent over his friend, again pressing his fingers to Johnson's throat. This time he felt nothing.

Horror gripped him. "No! . . ." Frantically he struggled to deliver CPR, but to no avail. Cupping his lips over Johnson's and forcing air into his lungs did nothing either.

At last he slumped back, just staring at Johnson's still form. He was so quiet . . . too quiet. But aside from the blood and how pale he was starting to look, he really looked like he was sleeping.

Yes. Yes, that was it. He was just sleeping.

Gansley pulled his coat up higher around Johnson so he would be warmer. But . . . it couldn't be comfortable sleeping on the floor. He reached down, lifting Johnson up and positioning him so his head was resting against Gansley's lap.

"Sleep, Johnson," he whispered. "Just sleep. . . . Everything's going to be alright."

xxxx

The wardrobe room was styled as it had been years ago, with racks of old costumes and wigs and hats set upon mannequin busts on shelves. The closet that wasn't really a closet stood open, leading into what looked like a early version of an elevator.

"What the heck?! They had elevators back then?" Joey exclaimed.

"At least here they did," Tristan said.

"Are we all gonna fit in there?!" Crump cried in disbelief.

"I don't think so." Lector ran in. "We'll have to go down in waves."

Nesbitt chased after him. "I'm coming with you!"

"And you're sure not leavin' me behind!" Joey yelled. He ran in with Tristan closely following. Once Duke, David, Mako, and Crump joined them, the elevator was full.

"Alright, we're going down now," Lector said to the remainder. "It shouldn't take long for us to reach the bottom and then you can join us."

"Be careful," Yugi said softly.

The elevator quickly descended, jerking a bit from the earliness of its design but still fully operational. When it reached the tunnel level, Mako rushed out and looked around. "Hello?!" he called. No one was around. His voice echoed eerily off the walls.

"We probably haven't come out anywhere near them," Lector lamented.

"We won't even know which way to go!" Crump cried.

"And splitting up would likely be unwise," Mako said.

Duke looked around. There were two possible paths, neither of which looked inviting. But finally he chose the tunnel to the left. "Let's try this way. The stage should be this direction."

Everyone followed him.

For a while they called to their loved ones without success. Then at last, Gansley responded. "We're over here. . . ."

None of them knew what they were going to find when they ran up, but they definitely hadn't expected the sight of Gansley sitting on the floor with Johnson's head on his lap. His hand was trembling as he moved it comfortingly over Johnson's hair, as a parent might do with a child.

"It's alright, Johnson," he rasped, his voice choppy and broken. "Just sleep now. . . . Just sleep. . . ." He trailed off, choking on his heartbreak and despair.

"Gansley!" Lector ran over to him. "Gansley, what happened?!"

Gansley seemed not to hear him. "He's sleeping now," he said, sounding far-away.

Nesbitt ran over and lifted Johnson's limp wrist. The color drained from his face. "No. . . ."

"He's dead?!" Crump screamed in horror.

"He's sleeping!" Gansley bellowed. The sound of his own words broke him the rest of the way. He reached down, lifting Johnson's upper body into his arms. A sob tore from his lips as he cradled his oldest friend.

Lector fell back, shaken and horrified. He had never seen Gansley cry. He wished they weren't seeing it now. But more than that, he wished that they weren't seeing it because of a devastating reason like this.

"Oh Buddy," Crump whispered. "No. . . ."

Nesbitt swore and slammed his fist into the floor.

Lector could only breathe a heartbroken prayer for both Johnson and Gansley under his breath.

"Where's Serenity?!" Joey demanded.

". . . She went to get help," Gansley managed to say. He drew a shaking breath as he tried to compose himself. "She's not with you?"

"No, she isn't." Duke's eyes narrowed. "And we didn't see her at all along the way."

"Oh no!" Joey cried. "She's lost down here!" He dug his hands into his hair.

"We'll find her," Lector promised. He reached to gently pry Johnson's body out of Gansley's arms. "I'll take him now. Are you hurt?"

Gansley shook his head. "That's the second time I've fallen through a trapdoor relatively unscathed." He grabbed his cane and pushed himself to his feet. "Ironically enough."

Lector shuddered at the feel of the dead weight in his arms as he straightened. It was no wonder Gansley couldn't process it and had run away from the truth. Lector felt like telling himself Johnson was sleeping too. But he had to stay composed somehow. When even their dear leader couldn't handle it, someone had to take over for him and stay logical.

Crump stared down at Johnson in shaken horror. "Buddy, no. . . ." He gently took one of Johnson's lifeless hands.

Nesbitt snarled. "How long has he been . . . like this?"

"I don't know," Gansley said. "He woke up for a few minutes and he was afraid. . . . Then he . . . went back to sleep again."

Nesbitt looked to Lector with worried and upset eyes. Surely they weren't going to humor Gansley in his delusion!

Lector looked back. Obviously they couldn't do that, but at the moment he didn't think it wise to point out the truth. In their current situation, it would be better to keep Gansley as calm as possible so they could concentrate on looking for Serenity and getting out. Gansley really knew the truth deep down or he wouldn't have broken down sobbing.

Nesbitt turned away with a snarl. "What direction did Serenity run off in?" he asked.

"To the left," Gansley said.

Joey took off immediately. "Serenity!" he yelled.

The rest of the group followed, in heavy distress.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Serenity had been wandering through the tunnels for what seemed like ages. No matter how she called for help, no one heard or answered and she couldn't locate anyone else around. She was starting to panic. She couldn't stand for anyone to be hurt, and it was even worse if they were hurt trying to help her! Somehow she had to get help! But when it just wasn't working, she had to wonder if Gansley was right and she should have stayed back with them.

"Hello?" she called again.

She turned a corner and found herself staring at a well-lit room with an organ and two large cages hanging from the ceiling—big enough for humans to fit in. A gasp left her lips. "What is this place?!"

"_This is where I tried to train braying donkeys into becoming the next Caroline Mason,"_ the ghost's voice whispered in her ear.

Serenity jumped. "What did you do to Mr. Johnson?!" she demanded.

"_He was hurt in the fall. That wasn't my fault."_

"If you hadn't grabbed me, he wouldn't have got hurt trying to save me!" Serenity retorted. "I'm sorry your voice was ruined and I'm sorry you died so unhappy, but that doesn't give you the right to play with all of our fates and hurt us! I can't bring you back to life! Neither can Duke! The amethyst is gone! And even if it wasn't, it was in Egypt. You'd have to let us go for us to get it!"

"_Maybe it's still there."_

"It's not," Serenity insisted. "It didn't survive the collapse of the tomb. And even when it worked, you had to offer a price for it to grant your wishes."

"_What kind of price?"_

"It had to be something really important," Serenity said. "Like . . . giving up a relationship with someone you loved." She turned to go. "I need to find the others."

The icy chill surrounded her as a cold mist began to make itself visible. _"If I can't come back to life in the preferable way, I could always take over your body instead."_

Serenity planted her feet. "No!" she snapped. "I won't let you! Anyway, wouldn't you have my voice then? I'm not an opera singer!"

"_Well . . . maybe we should find out."_

The swirling mists became more intense. Serenity screamed.

xxxx

The rest of the large group had made it downstairs, but they only wandered for a short time before finding the Big Five's group. Yugi gasped in alarm when he saw them. "Oh no!"

"Démas!" Evangeline tore over to her brother and stared down at Johnson's limp form in his arms. "Oh Démas. . . . Is Mr. Johnson . . ."

"Yes," Lector said with a heavy heart.

"It's my fault," Mako said in despair. "If I only hadn't encouraged all of us to come here! I know what you've said, but it's hard not to feel responsible when it results in something tragic happening."

"Mako. . . ." Téa blinked back tears. She certainly couldn't blame him for feeling responsible; she knew she would struggle with that herself if she had been the one encouraging them to come here. And Johnson was so still. . . .

Mokuba was crying now too. "Lector. . . ." He ran over to his friend. "I'm so sorry. . . ."

Lector gave a sad nod of acknowledgment. "We all are."

"He's just sleeping," Gansley growled.

Atem looked to Gansley with a start. "Oh no," he said under his breath.

"I'm afraid this was just too much for Gansley to take," Lector said quietly. "Miss Wheeler had run off to try to find all of you and Gansley was alone here with Johnson." Somehow he felt that if Serenity had stayed, Gansley would have forced himself to stay logical and realistic. With no one around he needed to be strong for, the death of someone he loved had shattered him.

Mai's eyes narrowed. "When we find Serenity, you'd better not tell her." She heard what Lector was not saying.

"Of course we won't!" Joey exclaimed. "But where the heck is she?!"

Angelique looked around. "I've been on the tour several times. She might have found her way to the music room, where Caroline Mason kept her hostages prisoner." She brushed past everyone and turned down another path.

"That sounds like a messed-up room," Tristan frowned as they followed.

"No kidding." Duke was very tense.

Tristan spun around to face him. "You know, this might not even have happened if you hadn't encouraged Serenity to 'spread her wings' so much," he spat.

Duke just stared at him. "What?!"

"You've got her always wanting to do dangerous things," Tristan barreled on. "That never happened when she was with me!"

"No, because you treated her like a china doll that would break," Duke retorted.

"This is no time to fight!" Atem scolded them both.

Tristan snarled. "Well, maybe not, but I've just been getting sick and tired of this for a while! Serenity was better off with me!"

"But she chose _me._" Duke's eyes flashed. "Don't blame me for that, Tristan. It was her decision."

"Not to mention, Serenity really didn't choose to fall through the floor," David spoke up. "And she ran off to get help because she was worried about Johnson. She wasn't trying to do anything dangerous." He shot Tristan a warning look. He might have settled in more with being around Yugi's group, but mainly because it was what Duke wanted and they actually had been trying to include him more. From his expression, he had always felt he might need to intervene again if Tristan got on the warpath.

Tristan held David's glare for a long moment, refusing to look away. David looked back, willing to hold it for as long as Tristan did.

The mood was only broken by a shriek as Serenity abruptly ran around a corner, past Angelique, and into Joey's arms in terror. "Joey!"

Shocked, Joey held her close. "What happened, Sis?! What was back there?!"

"Caroline Mason wanted to possess me to have a body again!" Serenity trembled in her brother's grasp. "I don't know if she followed me. She was back in that horrible room with the hanging cages. . . ."

Duke and Tristan stared in horror.

"Whaaat?!" Joey exclaimed. "Serenity, are you really okay?! She didn't get you, did she?!"

"I'm fine, Joey. . . ." Serenity looked up, focusing on the scene around her. "Oh. . . . Mr. Johnson. . . ." She stared at him laying ashen in Lector's arms. No one needed to tell her the truth for her to see it plainly. "Oh no. . . ." Tears filled her eyes. "He was only trying to protect me. . . ."

Duke sighed sadly. "And he wouldn't want you to blame yourself." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "We should get out of here."

No one disagreed. Solemn and shaken, they headed back to the elevator and went up in waves. Angelique waited until the entire group was together again before leading them out through the secret passage and into the parking lot. By now the day was fading into the twilight and lights were blinking on across the city. But the thought of the fun and recreation in the Big Easy was hardly appealing to any of the group right then.

It was Crump who noticed it first. "Hey," he gasped. "Lector, you're walking out of the building and Johnson, he's . . . he's not pale anymore!"

"_What?!"_ Lector looked down at his lifeless friend with a start. Crump was right. Johnson's skin had suddenly and inexplicably changed to a healthy shade. Not only that, the blood on his forehead was now a bruise.

"That . . . can't be," Nesbitt gasped. With Lector's arms full, Nesbitt reached and pressed his fingers to Johnson's throat. Johnson stirred and groaned, batting him away.

Lector almost dropped him in shock. "Johnson?!"

"He's alive?!" Crump shrieked. He glomped a reeling Gansley. "He's really alive!"

Serenity gasped. "It's a miracle!"

"No," Yami Bakura said flatly. "It's the ghosts. Caroline Mason must have made it look like Johnson was dead as long as we were inside that cursed building she controls. Now we are leaving and he is no longer affected by those evil forces. The spell is broken and the truth is revealed. He was never dead."

Gansley wobbled. "That's . . . that's not possible," he rasped. "He died right there, with me watching over him. . . ."

"Hey, you were the one who kept saying he was sleeping!" Joey exclaimed. "You were actually right! Well, almost. He was knocked out. . . ."

Gansley shook his head and looked away. It had been a lie made up to hide a truth he could not face. Now that he was being told the truth wasn't the truth, he was too overwhelmed to deal with it. He couldn't bring himself to believe only to possibly be hurt again.

Nesbitt looked to him with understanding and sympathy. That was similar to how Nesbitt had reacted when he had believed Lector was dead. But . . . maybe when Johnson really woke up, Gansley would see the truth.

Lector hurried to the nearest vehicle and ducked inside, gently laying Johnson across the back seat. "Johnson?!" He knelt beside his friend and took his hand. "Johnson, can you hear me?!"

Johnson slowly turned his head to face Lector. "I . . . I thought I was dead," he whispered.

Joy filled Lector's heart. "You aren't, my dear friend. It was a trick of that ghost's." He bent down, embracing Johnson close. "You're alright. . . ."

Still dazed and confused, Johnson shakily reached up and hugged Lector. "Gansley? . . ." he quavered. "Is Gansley alright?" He remembered lying on the floor in pain . . . and Gansley with him, looking so heartbroken. . . .

Gansley broke down, shakily taking Johnson's hand between his. He sank to his knees despite the pain, clutching that hand with all his might. "Yes," he said. "I'm alright now."

"Gansley, I . . . I'm sorry," Johnson stammered.

Lector moved aside to allow Gansley to get to Johnson. Gansley stared at the friend he had been certain he had lost, his eyes filled with a mixture of joy, confusion, and lingering disbelief. He didn't want this moment to shatter, to be proven false. It had to be real. It had to be. . . .

"It wasn't your fault, Johnson," he said at last. "It wasn't your fault."

And as Crump and Nesbitt first stood by and then joined the reunion, Nesbitt repeatedly cursed the ghost of Caroline Mason in his mind. She was going to pay.

xxxx

No one was sure if it was a relief to get back to the hotel or not. There was no telling where the ghosts had come from, and Caroline Mason had communicated with Serenity at the hotel the previous night. Evangeline was soon on the phone with her exorcist, hoping to have a protective barrier put around the property to keep out any spirits wishing ill will.

The Big Five were all shaken as they entered the Grand Suite. On the way home Gansley had insisted on Johnson having an examination at an emergency room. He had been proclaimed healthy and well; he only had a mild concussion, and the others could look after him at the hotel.

"You guys have the bedroom I was sharing with Johnson," Crump insisted. "I'll take the daybed."

Gansley didn't protest. He would prefer watching over Johnson and reassuring himself that Johnson was indeed alive.

"Or maybe we should take shifts," Lector pointed out. "We'll all need sleep."

"Are any of us going to sleep?" Nesbitt growled. "We have to do something about that ghost! And about Darcy, if she set it on us!"

"I don't know what to do," Lector said in frustration. "Evangeline's trying her exorcist, and I think she's been placing wangas around the building. Not that it seems like anything is really helping to keep the ghosts out."

"It sure isn't," Crump said. "They're really determined!"

"Maybe we should learn about the building that was torn down," Nesbitt grunted. "We're only assuming the ghosts came here on a personal vendetta. Maybe Evangeline's original idea that they just wanted a new home is closer to the truth."

"It wouldn't explain how Caroline Mason followed us here," Lector sighed.

Nesbitt's eyes flashed. "I'm not going to stand for what she did today with Johnson. It was probably a warning. Next time she might kill someone for real!"

"Not to mention she wanted to possess that poor kid to get back into the living world." Crump made a face. "That sounds a little too familiar for all of us, I'm sure."

Nesbitt grunted and looked away. He didn't want to discuss that. It was indeed too familiar, but he didn't want to think about any similarities between Caroline Mason and them. He wanted to focus on making that ghost pay for bringing harm to his loved ones.

Lector also found the topic uncomfortable. He turned to look out the sliding doors at the balcony and at the city beyond.

"I can practically hear the crickets chirping," Crump said with dripping sarcasm. "I know it's not something we like to think about, but her desperation to get back to the land of the living is a lot like ours was."

"And what exactly does that mean, Crump?" Lector asked. "Are you suggesting we try to find a way to redeem her as we were redeemed? It only works if the person wants to make a change. It doesn't sound like she does."

"Oh, I dunno what I'm sayin'," Crump said in disgust. "I'm really ticked off at her too. What she did to Johnson and Gansley was really crummy. But . . . maybe I'm kind of wondering what happened to that guy she was nuts about. Did he move on after he died or is he still hangin' around too?"

"From the story Angelique told us, he wasn't able to get through to her in life," Nesbitt said. "There's no real reason to believe he can get through to her in death. And if he really still cares about her, you'd think he would have already tried."

Crump blew out his breath in resignation. "Yeah, I guess. Well, I'm gonna order room service. What do you guys want?"

While they were sorting out dinner options in the living room, Gansley was making sure Johnson was getting settled into the bed in one of the bedrooms. "Do you want anything to eat?" he asked.

"Nothing elaborate," Johnson sighed. "Even a mild concussion is miserable. Maybe I'll just have some fruit and crackers. . . . And a little cheese for the crackers." He closed his eyes as he sank into the pillow.

"Alright. I'll let Crump know when he comes to check on us." Gansley laid a hand on Johnson's shoulder.

Johnson was silent for a long moment. "Gansley. . . . You really thought I was dead?"

Gansley stiffened. "Yes," he rasped. He didn't want to admit to his denial, as it felt to him like a show of weakness from him, even though he certainly didn't see it as a weakness when Nesbitt had reacted the same way to believing Lector dead.

"I'm so sorry." Johnson looked away. "And the others did too, I imagine. . . ."

"They did," Gansley agreed. "It was horrible. Serenity was crying. . . ."

". . . She would," Johnson mused. He managed a weak smile. "But . . . I'm glad I mean so much to everyone. I used to think no one cared about me . . . that no one _could_ care, after I'd isolated them."

"Funny how I thought the same thing about me, since in my case everyone seemed to leave me," Gansley remarked. "My parents always loved me, but I'm ashamed to admit that at the time I just thought they cared because they were my parents, or because they were required to, or even because they didn't know the real me that everyone else hated. Now, after seeing what's happened with Crump and Lector especially and also with Nesbitt, I know I can't take my parents' love for granted ever again. It's a precious gift."

"It is," Johnson said quietly. "I'm glad I finally reunited with mine. I'm just sorry that a reconciliation isn't likely for poor Lector or Crump. I don't know about Nesbitt's family, but it doesn't look good for his either."

"No, it doesn't," Gansley sighed.

"I hope we don't have to stay here much longer," Johnson mumbled. "Things keep going wrong. . . . I want to go home, and to not have Caroline Mason's ghost follow us. But . . . how are we going to ensure that?"

"How I wish I knew," Gansley said, shaking his head.

xxxx

Mako was sitting Indian-style on his bed in his room, devouring the notebook written by his father. Every page, every bit of information, was a treasure. But even as he read for the sheer enjoyment of it and to learn more about his father, he was also looking for any clues to their current predicament. Since his father had lived in New Orleans for a year, it seemed possible that he had encountered some of the supernatural conundrums they had been discovering. At any rate, it was worth investigating.

_New Orleans is a land of many legends and mysteries, not unlike my own Japan. Sometimes it seems as though every house, every building, even every park, has its own ghost stories. Are they all true? It is hard to say. I know some are true; I have seen this with my own eyes._

Mako turned the page and his eyes went wide.

_The old office building near the Tolliver Arms Hotel is one of the strangest cases I've seen. People work there even as the spirits bother them. They've just grown used to their machines suddenly operating by themselves or the lights turning off and on at any time of the day or night. Although perhaps it isn't unlike my own experiences with the mighty seas. One must get used to its moods and temper in order to show it that you are a friend and not an enemy._

Mako leaned back with a frown. He had to admit that as a child he had been furious and upset with the ocean for taking his father away from him. The man had devoted his life to the sea, to making friends with it, and it had turned on him! But then he had discovered the missing lifeboat and his hopes had soared. Even if it was more logical to believe that it had torn loose in the storm, and even if it didn't make sense for the man to have deliberately taken the lifeboat himself, Mako had to think of it as a way for his father to still be alive. He simply could not accept that the man he loved and idolized so deeply was gone from this world.

He shook himself back to the present. Apparently his father had written about the building that had been torn down, the one that Evangeline had originally thought the ghosts came from. But Evangeline hadn't been positive the building was haunted. If the ghost activity was as widespread as his father's journal entry made it sound, how could she not have known? Did the workers try to hide it? Had his father toured the building and seen the paranormal goings-on firsthand? Maybe going inside was the only way to see it, to know about it. And if the building had been torn down after all that, it was no wonder the spirits were furious and kept causing trouble at the hotel. They had been displaced and they wanted a new home. Maybe Evangeline's exorcist should try to communicate directly with the ghosts and try to ask them if they were from that office building.

He turned his attention back to the notebook.

_Marcel Germaine, one of the workers, says that he is tired of working in a building where the spirits can't sit still. He is planning to open his own business. Oddly enough, he wants to make coffins. Perhaps he thinks that is a good way to tell the ghosts that he is not afraid of them and that he intends to help send them on their way to the afterlife._

"Well, finally, a name!" Mako got off the bed. "I shall show this to Evangeline and Angelique. Perhaps it will mean something to them!"

He opened the door and hurried into the hall. As he did, he found Tristan standing in the corridor with his hands shoved in his pockets, scowling at the floor.

"Hello, my friend," Mako greeted. "Are you still upset about earlier?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Tristan grumbled, "but I don't know who I'm upset at. I mean, I've always been upset with Duke, but I've tried to come to terms with him choosing Serenity. I know she's been happy with him. I shouldn't have blown up at the theatre. There were enough problems going on without that. And now everyone knows I'm still unhappy about things."

Mako frowned. "If you feel badly, you should apologize to Duke," he said.

"I know, I know." Tristan kicked the carpet. "But I'm not feeling that great towards him either. I mean, I saw Serenity first and I was trying to get her interested in me! Okay, she saw me as another brother, but maybe that would've changed if Duke hadn't come along and got interested too!"

"It sounds like a very complex situation," Mako said. "I'm afraid I am not certain how to help."

"That's okay." Tristan looked up. "It's something I have to deal with." He eyed the notebook in Mako's hand. "Have you figured out anything more from that?"

"Perhaps," Mako said. "I was looking for Evangeline and Angelique. Does the name Marcel Germaine mean anything to you?"

Tristan's eyes widened. "That's one of Angelique's relatives!" he exclaimed. "He owns the Eternal Rest Coffin Company."

"I see!" Mako perked up. "I knew the name must be important! Let's find the others and I will share what I have found."

Tristan was perking up now too. "Yeah! Let's do that!" He was eager to get his mind on something else, and solving the mystery would certainly make him feel good.

He could take care of the mess with Duke later.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Duke was sitting on his bed with his legs drawn up to his chest and his arms folded on top of his knees. He was glaring at nothing in particular, his thoughts far away from his eyes.

"You're thinking about Tristan, of course."

Duke just managed a half-shrug. Naturally that was true, and naturally David would be that blunt about it. "I've always known he's still been upset," he mumbled. "And yet I still wasn't planning on him blowing up about it right then."

"That's not the kind of thing you can plan for," David said.

Duke sighed and straightened out, then sank backwards into the mattress and the pillows. "I guess he probably never will forgive me. It's not like we knew each other well before we got interested in Serenity. We didn't really have any kind of friendship foundation to fall back on. And even if we had, I'll bet Tristan would have let the Serenity problem break it up." He rubbed his eyes. "I can't really say Tristan was one of my favorite people either. But . . . he did seem concerned if I got hurt, at least."

"Most decent people would be upset by that, even if they're not close to the one who got hurt," David said.

Duke nodded. "I didn't want him hurt either. But I was angry at times like when he questioned what my motives were. It wasn't like he was going steady with Serenity himself. Of course he wanted to, though." He rolled onto his side. "He was checking out the competition. Maybe he was worried he'd come in second. And then he did."

"Serenity just didn't see him in a romantic light," David said. "That's not a crime and it's not your fault. That was the case before you ever showed up."

"I know. And I don't regret that she chose me." Duke sat up. "I just wish it didn't have to cause all this trouble. I was . . ." He looked away. "I was hoping I'd finally become part of the group. . . ."

"Oh, Duke. . . . You are." David sat on the edge of the bed. "They've all been trying to include you. Actually, I'm really impressed by that."

"Tristan sure hates me now, though," Duke grunted. "If he ever stopped hating me in the first place."

David sighed. He couldn't really counter that.

A knock on the door startled them both. "Guys!"

Duke leaped off the bed. "What is it, Téa?"

"Mako found out that Marcel Germaine worked at that office building that got torn down!" Téa called through the door. "Some of us are going to go talk to him and see if he knows what's going on with the ghosts!"

Duke walked over and opened the door. "How did Mako find that out?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"His dad talked about it in that notebook," Téa explained.

"Great." Duke headed into the hall, followed by David. "Who all's going?"

"Just some of us," Téa said. "The Big Five should rest, so they're staying here. Kaiba wants Mokuba to stay too, and he's really fed-up with all the ghost stuff, so he's staying."

"I think what Dukey-Boy really means is whether Tristan's going," David said.

"Oh." Téa sighed. "I think he is. . . ."

Duke grunted. "Well, how many people does it really take to question one guy? I'm not going."

Téa gave him a sad smile. "I understand. But I hope this isn't going to go on for a long time between you two."

"Honestly, it's been going on since we both got interested in Serenity," Duke said. "It was overdue to happen."

"I guess so." Téa laid a hand on his arm. "So . . . I'll see you guys later then. . . ."

"Wait. Is Serenity going?" Duke asked.

"I'm . . . actually not sure anyone's told her yet," Téa realized. "I know Joey would rather she stay here and rest."

"She might not be safe anywhere," Duke grumbled.

No one could deny that chilling possibility.

xxxx

Lector was restless as the evening wore on. After he and the others ate, Johnson started to doze but Gansley was still wide awake, wanting to watch over him. Nesbitt was also edgy, and Lector was certain he planned to do something about what had been happening, maybe when everyone other than the one watching Johnson went to sleep.

There hadn't been any chance to visit Darcy's parents with all the hectic adventures of the day. Lector couldn't say he was looking forward to such a task after the Allemans had said they didn't care what Darcy was up to. But on the other hand, it probably still needed to be done. Maybe they didn't care, but if Lector pointed out the details of what their daughter had done yesterday, they might be willing to do something about it or tell him where she might be. Surely they wouldn't just stand by if they knew she had been communicating with evil spirits and trying to get them to possess people and then kill people using their host bodies.

Even if they would talk, though, what then? If the rings wouldn't activate since it wasn't a problem threatening the entire world, then Lector probably needed to make sure Atem or Yami Bakura or both went with him to talk to Darcy's parents. And from how restless Nesbitt looked, he might not be willing to wait, or to consider someone else as being the one who should take care of Darcy.

Lector frowned to himself. And how should the woman be 'taken care of'? Atem seemed to feel that maybe another chance should be offered to her via a Mind Crush. Yami Bakura felt that banishing her to the Shadow Realm was the best solution. Lector was furious and wanted justice, but he also didn't want to be a hypocrite and demand a kind of justice more harsh than what the Big Five themselves had suffered. After all they had done, they had received another chance and they had used it. Of course, they had been willing to make the changes necessary to their lives by that point. Who could say that Darcy would be willing to do the same? If she wasn't, then a harsher justice was surely the right decision.

Nesbitt was definitely starting to pace the floor. When Lector followed him into the bedroom, he found the other man digging into his luggage in search of his kendo bokken.

"You're going out, aren't you." Lector didn't bother to phrase it as a question. The answer was obvious.

"Of course I'm going out," Nesbitt growled. "This has to stop! We both know it. And we need to see if reining Darcy in will make it stop."

"Yes, we do," Lector said.

Nesbitt started. "You're not going to try to stop me?"

"I'm going to try to see that we deal with this in a level-headed manner," Lector said. "Darcy has to be brought to justice and I'm going to be along while we try to find her. We'll have to talk to her parents first. They might be more willing to talk to me, since they know me."

Nesbitt finally located his bokken and pulled it out. "Then let's go."

"Crump will probably want to come too, but he should stay here and look after Gansley and Johnson," Lector said. "Johnson will probably be alright, but Gansley might need someone to make sure _he's_ alright."

"Makes sense to me," Nesbitt said.

"But we should see about the Pharaoh or Yami Bakura coming with us, since this is a supernatural problem that might require their assistance," Lector said.

"Fine," Nesbitt grunted. From his tone, it wasn't entirely fine, but he knew it would be foolhardy not to have back-up for a supernatural problem. He preferred when problems could be solved in ways that he was familiar with, but with their luck that wasn't always possible.

Crump definitely wasn't pleased when they both came out of the bedroom and Nesbitt had his kendo bokken in hand. "Okay, now what are you guys up to?" he grunted.

"We're going to try to solve this Darcy problem," Lector told him, and explained what they had in mind.

"And the rest of us have gotta stay here and worry, huh?" Crump said at the conclusion.

"Hopefully not for long," Nesbitt said.

"Okay, but you guys are both hotheads and there's plenty of reason to be mad at Darcy. Don't go plunging into something stupid!" Crump warned.

"We'll be careful," Lector said. "We're going to make sure either Atem or Yami Bakura comes with us."

"Or both of them," Nesbitt said as he opened the door.

xxxx

As it turned out, both Atem and Yami Bakura were interested in accompanying them. They all wanted to see Darcy taken down before anything else could go wrong, and Atem especially was outraged by what Caroline Mason had done to the Big Five that day. If bringing down Darcy might possibly also bring down Caroline Mason, he was all for it.

It was difficult for Lector to see the house where Darcy's parents still lived. Darcy herself had lived there during their brief engagement years earlier. He had already been dealing with unpleasant memories from seeing her again, and seeing the house he associated with her didn't help. But he drew a deep breath and moved to get out of the car. It had to be done.

"Alright," Atem said. "Let's go . . ." He trailed off as Nesbitt leaped out of the car and ran up to the porch. ". . . Together," the former Pharaoh finished with a resigned sigh.

"That fool," Yami Bakura grunted as they all hurried after him.

Lector leaped up the stairs to the porch before Nesbitt pounded on the door. "We might be more likely to get answers if I take charge," he reminded. "Darcy's parents know me, but not you."

Nesbitt scowled but stepped aside. "Go ahead."

Lector rapped loudly on the door. For a long moment there was silent. Then, slowly, the door creaked open. Darcy's parents were both standing there, both with the same dead-eyed look as Antoine Isidore had bore the previous night.

Everyone tensed.

"Oh no," Atem exclaimed.

"What's wrong with them?!" Nesbitt demanded.

Mrs. Broussard opened the doors, her expression never changing. Lector stared at her, unsure what to make of this but knowing he didn't like it.

"Hello, Mrs. Broussard?" he tried. "I don't know if you remember me. Démas Lector? I was going to marry your daughter some years ago. We desperately need to locate her now. . . ."

Fingers snapped in the darkness. Both Mr. and Mrs. Broussard collapsed to the floor and lay still. Cruelly laughing, Darcy stepped out from the shadows and faced Lector down. "Are you confused, Démas?" she taunted.

Lector took a step forward. "What did you do to them?!" he cried.

"The same thing that happened to Antoine and his group last night," Darcy said. "Actually, that's why it happened to them. I orchestrated it to test how it would work. I just wasn't expecting to become a victim myself."

"You're inhuman," Atem gasped. "You had your friends and now your own parents possessed?!"

"They weren't cooperating with my wishes," Darcy replied. "Actually, though, I'm not fully myself right now either." Her eyes gleamed. "I agreed to help Caroline Mason get back into the mortal world . . . as long as I could finally and fully have my revenge on my former fiancé."

"You would deliberately allow yourself to be possessed just for that?" Now Yami Bakura looked appalled and disgusted. "How petty and how foolish. You will never be free again. And I know that better than anyone else you will ever meet."

Lector suddenly felt overwhelmed. He had never liked Darcy after learning what she was like, but even he hadn't realized the lengths she would go to before. This was too much.

"I'm not going to stand for this, Darcy," he said.

"I won't either," Nesbitt snarled. He brandished his bokken as he stepped forward. "What you did last night and what Caroline Mason did today is all going to be answered for. Neither of us are going to allow for the possibility of anything more happening because of either of you!"

"And this time you can't use our loved ones as shields," Atem said. "We are going to have it out, right here, right now."

"Fine." Darcy gestured to the living room. "Come on in."

"I believe we will be better protected if we remain out here," Atem replied. "Entering your house will give you a possible home-field advantage. Who knows what tricks are lurking in every corner of your home."

Darcy's eyes flickered with annoyance. "Have it your way."

The Infinity Puzzle and Ring began to glow as Atem and Yami Bakura closed in. Lector and Nesbitt moved back to let them get closer, but both watched the beginning Shadow Game in frustration.

"We should be able to fight our own battles instead of having them do it for us," Nesbitt growled.

"I must admit that in this case I agree," Lector said. He looked down at his amethyst ring. "I wonder . . . if we truly pour all our hearts and souls into activating these things, would it work?"

"How could such a vindictive person _not_ eventually be a danger to the entire world?" Nesbitt snorted. "Let's try it."

The two friends concentrated, pooling all their energy and will into the idea of activating their rings. No matter how they tried, it didn't seem to be working. And the shadows and darkness were starting to increase around them as the Shadow Game proceeded.

Lector wavered. Somehow it had escaped him that if a Shadow Game got underway, they would end up in that realm too. He had been so angry about Darcy and so determined to put an end to her cruelty that he hadn't stopped to think. He had finally gotten past his lingering horror and hurt over the argument he'd had with the others in the Shadow Realm, but actually being back there was still making him remember the cold helplessness of that dimension . . . the feel of the darkness taking him . . . swallowing him. . . . He trembled, his concentration broken.

Nesbitt looked to him with a start. "Lector . . . !" It was obvious what had shaken him, and Nesbitt had to admit, re-entering the Shadow Realm was bringing back painful memories for him as well. It wasn't a place he had wanted to ever see again.

"I can't do this," Lector rasped. "I can't. . . ." He held a hand to his forehead.

Nesbitt growled. "You can't let this sick place rattle you! Anyway, I . . . I need you here with me!" he blurted. "If you lose it, I won't be able to stand on my own. . . ."

Lector started. "Of course you can!" he exclaimed. "You wouldn't let this place beat you!"

"And you'll let it beat you?" Nesbitt snapped.

"No," Lector retorted. "That wasn't what I meant. . . ."

"It better not have been!" Nesbitt growled.

"I assure you, my dear friend, I won't fall," Lector promised. "I can't, not when I know there are people who love and need me and people whom I want with all my heart to be with. But . . . being here . . . I don't know how to concentrate well enough to try to make my ring work. . . . _If_ it will work. . . ."

"I don't either," Nesbitt admitted. "But . . . maybe if we . . ." He went red and looked down, embarrassed. "If we give each other strength, we might be able to make the rings work. . . ."

Lector smiled a bit. "You're right. We'll try that. If the rings won't activate then, I doubt anything about this situation will make them work." He gripped Nesbitt's shoulder.

Ahead of them, in the Shadow Game, Atem and Yami Bakura were discovering that Darcy was extremely formidable. Since she didn't duel, they were playing the game on the landscapes of their minds, and she was better at it than they had thought she would be. It didn't hurt that she had merged with Caroline Mason's spirit. Darcy was strong on her own, and with Caroline's power as well, she was almost unstoppable. Lost souls of the Shadow Realm were beginning to congregate and swirl around them, Lector, and Nesbitt. One way or another, Darcy and Caroline were determined to win this battle and trap their hated enemies there instead.

Yami Bakura swore in Egyptian. "Our attention is divided!" he exclaimed to Atem. "We can't focus on overpowering these blasted masters of the dark arts while we're warding off these intruders!"

Atem snarled as a restless spirit wisped past his ear. "And the divided attention doesn't seem to be bothering Darcy," he said. ". . . Of course not. Caroline Mason is probably controlling the spirits while Darcy is focusing on our battle!"

Darcy smirked at them. "And there's no way you can win."

"No!" Atem exclaimed. "We must win!" In desperation he stared at Darcy and focused on the Infinity Puzzle's power. He had to channel that power and aim it at Darcy. He couldn't get distracted by the evil spirits around them. He had to focus. . . .

Yami Bakura was attempting to do likewise. But it was easier said than done, especially when he felt a spirit pass right through him. The cold chill spread out from his chest to begin covering his entire torso.

Atem turned to look at him, sensing something had happened. "What is it?!" he demanded.

Yami Bakura growled, placing a hand on his chest. "Something just went through me," he growled.

Atem started. "Is that bad?"

"Well, it certainly isn't good," Yami Bakura shot back.

Darcy threw back her head and laughed. "This is all you can muster? I knew you couldn't be as incredible as I heard."

Without warning a blast mixed of purple and orange came out of nowhere and knocked her off her feet. Atem and Yami Bakura jumped and turned, stunned. Lector and Nesbitt were standing there, their rings both glowing.

"All together, we are quite incredible," Lector said.

"Your rings activated," Atem said in amazement.

"And we don't entirely know why," Nesbitt said. "Let's not worry about it now! Just finish her off!"

Atem nodded. Now both Darcy's and Caroline's concentration had been broken. Before they could control the swirling spirits to cause more trouble, Atem and Yami Bakura forced their will upon both of the others' minds. A dual scream tore from Darcy's lips and the Shadow Realm began to fade into nothingness. Atem and Yami Bakura had won.

Darcy looked up, disheveled, angry, still full of hate. "What are you going to do with me?" she asked.

"I'm going to see if there is any hope for you to make a change," Atem said. "Mind Crush!"

Darcy's eyes went blank and she fell over on the carpet, comatose. Before Caroline could try to take control, Yami Bakura stepped forward with the Infinity Ring glowing.

"And now you are going to be banished to the Shadow Realm," he growled. "We are all sick of your meddling."

Caroline screamed now, enraged as Yami Bakura pulled her free of Darcy's body. Atem didn't protest Yami Bakura's plan, and the Infinity Ring glowed as he sent the vengeful spirit to the Shadow Realm.

"There," he growled as the light faded. "It's done."

"And that had better be the end of it," Nesbitt snarled.

Mr. and Mrs. Broussard began to stir. As their eyes opened, they were clear and not the blank and dead looks from when the group had arrived.

"Oh . . . what happened?" Mr. Broussard mumbled.

"Darcy?!" Mrs. Broussard stared at their daughter's limp form.

"She is unconscious," Atem offered, "and hopefully when she awakens, the evil in her heart will be gone."

"Evil?" Mr. Broussard's expression twisted in anger. "Oh, I remember. She actually had some of her spirit friends take us over!"

"I just don't understand what happened to her," Mrs. Broussard said sorrowfully. "I know she was always a case, but . . ." She shook her head. Then, suddenly becoming aware of another presence, she jerked and looked up at Lector. "You! . . ."

"Yes, Mrs. Broussard," Lector sighed. "Darcy targeted me for revenge and has been treating me and my friends outrageously. We came here hoping you and your husband knew where she was. We weren't expecting to find her waiting for us and having had both of you possessed."

Mrs. Broussard scowled and lifted Darcy into her arms. "She mentioned seeing you again and wanting to make you suffer. When we objected, that's when she came after us."

"So disrespectful," Mr. Broussard snarled. "You say the evil in her heart will go away?"

"I don't know," Atem said. "It's possible. I put her into a state where she can sort through her life and hopefully make the decision to improve herself. But I can't say whether that will be her decision."

"We can hope," Mrs. Broussard said. "We are so sorry for what she's done to you."

"Thank you," Lector said with a nod. He frowned slightly to himself. The Allemans had said Darcy's parents hadn't cared what she was doing, but it looked like that wasn't true. Maybe, though, they hadn't cared until they realized how dead-set Darcy was about things.

"Let's go," Nesbitt growled. "We can see if things are back to normal at the hotel."

"They might not be," Yami Bakura warned. "It depends on whether Darcy and Caroline Mason were responsible for the hotel ghosts' presence."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to check," Nesbitt retorted.

"Of course not," Atem said. "And we need to anyway." He nodded to the Broussards. "Good luck with your daughter."

"How long will she be . . . like this?" Mr. Broussard doubtfully asked.

"I can't say," Atem said, shaking his head. "Some people never go into comas at all. Those who do can be unconscious for hours, days, or even weeks. It depends on how much they have to sort through in their lives."

"And unfortunately, she has a great deal," Yami Bakura grunted. "A lifetime's worth."

Lector sighed. He couldn't disagree.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes: I can't seem to think of much else to do with this story now that the villains are (at least temporarily) out of the way. I started this story mostly just to have something to write when I didn't have any other ideas. But I've deliberately left things open for a sequel or follow-up in the future, as there is certainly more that could happen with these angles! Meanwhile, I have some other paths to take the characters on next.**

**Chapter Twelve**

Marcel Germaine couldn't say he was surprised when Angelique and her group arrived at the Eternal Rest Coffin Company to speak with him. He sighed and shook his head in resignation.

"I had a feeling you'd all find your way here eventually, once I read about that old office building being torn down," he said.

"Why didn't you come to us if you had information?" Angelique frowned.

"Well, there's really not much I can tell you," he replied. "Just more tales of what the ghosts did every day at the place where I was working. I couldn't take it anymore, so I got out of there and never looked back. I have no idea who the ghosts are or what their problem is. But when I heard about the building going, I knew they would decide to relocate to someplace else nearby."

"That's just freaky!" Joey wailed.

"We need to know how to make them go away," Evangeline said.

"If I had known the answer to that, I would have done it years ago and maybe never left," Marcel said. "Probably the methods you're doing is all you can do. Or I guess you could try talking to them and asking if they would compromise. What if you gave them the top floor of the hotel if they would agree to leave the rest of it alone?"

"Do you think that would really work?" Tristan looked doubtful.

"Frankly, I have no idea," Marcel sighed. "But some ghosts are willing to make deals like that."

"Didn't anyone try that in the office building?" Yugi said in surprise.

"There wasn't any spare space they could give up," Marcel said.

"Well, I don't want to have to give up an entire floor of my hotel!" Evangeline folded her arms. "We already can't get into an entire wing of our house because of some other darn ghosts!"

"Isn't there another abandoned building they could go in?" Téa wondered.

"Maybe," Marcel said. "But if they chose the hotel over it, maybe they wanted a place that they thought wouldn't get torn down as easily."

"Hmm." Evangeline pondered. "I suppose I could tell them that if they keep causing so much trouble, people won't want to come as much and then the hotel might get abandoned and eventually torn down. Technically it could happen."

"I would say it's worth a try," Marcel said. "I would have done almost anything to get those ghosts to quiet down."

Evangeline managed a smile. "Well, thank you. We'll try it."

xxxx

Lector wasn't sure what to think when Yami Bakura pulled up in front of the hotel and the group went inside to find Evangeline standing in the lobby and talking loudly to the ghosts.

"Alright!" she boomed. "I'm going to tell you something and I want every one of you to listen good. I'm sick and tired of the problems you're causing for me and for everybody else in my hotel! And you know what? So are the other people you're tormenting! They're bound to stop coming, and you know what will happen then? I won't be able to afford keeping this place open and it will end up abandoned just like the building you came here from! Eventually it will get torn down too, and then where will you go?" She folded her arms. "You're just going to have to start playing nice if you want to have this place to live in for a long time yet."

"Heh." Yami Bakura smirked. "Well, you're certainly showing spunk. I can't say it will go well for you, but perhaps you'll get lucky."

"I'd better," Evangeline said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Her eyes brightened to see Lector safe. "Démas!" She ran over and hugged him. "Where were you?!"

Lector hugged her close. "We went to look for Darcy. We found her."

"Now she's been Mind Crushed," Nesbitt said, without stopping to remember that Evangeline would just be confused by that term.

"That certainly sounds painful," Evangeline said, quirking an eyebrow. "Although I can't say she doesn't deserve it."

"Actually, it's not physically painful," Atem hurried to say. "I'd best explain."

Evangeline was horrified to hear the details of what had happened, but she scoffed at the explanation of a Mind Crush. "I doubt it will help her any. She sounds like a lost cause to me."

"Maybe," Lector said. "Although I'm sure people could have said the same about all of us." He laid a hand on Nesbitt's shoulder. "I would like to believe she can change, but I will admit it seems unlikely, especially if she doesn't have anyone she truly cares about."

Nesbitt nodded. "That's the only reason we were able to change."

"Well." Evangeline smiled and linked arms with them both. "You're both wonderful, and I'm so happy you both found a better path in life."

"So are we," Nesbitt grunted, as Lector smiled with fondness at both his friend and his sister.

xxxx

Crump was thoroughly relieved that the others were back safely, as of course was everyone else. It was hard to believe that the problems were over, even with Darcy and Caroline having been placed in different, lasting fates, but as the night wore on and became day, everything was curiously quiet. The ghosts seemed to have taken Evangeline's words seriously.

Mako was still reading his father's notebook as morning dawned, transfixed by the words of the man he still idolized and desperately missed. When many of the group went downstairs for breakfast, he took the book with him.

"So, Mako, what are you planning to do now?" Joey asked.

"I am not sure," Mako said. "Perhaps I will stay here a while longer and continue to explore the places my father may have been. It likely won't help me find where he is now, but at least I can still connect with him on some level."

"I think that's a great idea," Téa smiled. "I'm sure that will be nice for you, Mako."

"We can show him all around," Evangeline said, and Angelique nodded. "We enjoy being tour guides."

"What about all of you?" Mako asked. "Will you be going home?"

Yugi looked around at everyone. "I think we might," he said. "It seems like everything is okay here and we kind of need to get home."

"That is fine," Mako said. "I'm sure we will all see each other again soon."

"I'm sure too," Yugi smiled.

"What about Lector and his friends?" Mako asked. "They don't seem to have come down to breakfast. . . ."

"They probably wanted to eat up in their room," Atem said. "Johnson might not be feeling well enough to come down."

"That makes sense," Mako nodded. "Do you think they will be going home as well?"

"I kind of think they'll want to," Yugi agreed. "If things are okay with Evangeline, that is."

"Everything seems to be," Evangeline smiled. Her eyes flickered with sadness. She always wished Lector didn't have to go away, but she knew he and the rest of the Big Five had made lives for themselves in Domino City, just as she had in New Orleans. Neither of them wanted to leave where they wanted to live.

"They can come back with us!" Mokuba chirped.

"I'm sure Lector would like that," Yugi smiled.

"Much better than travelin' on a commercial plane," Joey said.

Seto grunted in agreement.

Bakura took out his phone. "I'll let the bikers know we'll be back today," he said. "I hope Oreo has been getting along with Liu. She's used to being the only cat in the house."

"Except for when she and those five other cats ganged up on Yami Bakura and rubbed him up and down," Joey smirked. "She didn't seem to have any problem being with other cats then."

Yami Bakura grunted. "And I can get back to making the front yard a Halloween horror," he said, deliberately changing the subject.

"Seriously? After all this?!" Tristan exclaimed.

"Why not?" Yami Bakura sneered. "I still say that one thing should have no bearing on the other."

"Most people would be fed-up with creepy stuff after everything we've been through," Tristan insisted.

"Then it's a good thing I am not most people," Yami Bakura replied.

"I haven't seen Serenity, Duke, or David either," Mako commented.

"Serenity's havin' breakfast with Duke and David in their room," Joey said.

A silence fell over the group. They all knew why, but they wondered if Serenity knew. Duke didn't like to talk about the problems between him and Tristan. Serenity, however, would probably get the truth out of him. She would immediately know that something was wrong for Duke to not want to eat with everyone else. She would likely also try to convince him to come downstairs, especially since it was their last meal in New Orleans for a while.

"Well," Téa said after the awkward pause, "I know they'll want to say Goodbye to Evangeline and Angelique and Mako before we go."

Mako nodded. "And I wish them all well."

Tristan didn't comment and kept eating.

xxxx

The Big Five were indeed eating breakfast in their suite, and had in fact gathered in Gansley and Johnson's bedroom so they could all be together.

"It's sure a relief that everything's wrapped up like it is!" Crump exclaimed. "We can all go home!"

"Don't you find it odd that it would be this simple?" Gansley grunted.

"Simple?!" Crump snorted. "It sounded like Lector and Nesbitt had an awful time! And I'll bet they didn't tell everything!"

Nesbitt looked away.

"Still, I keep feeling like we're waiting for the other shoe to drop," Gansley grunted. "Everything seems resolved, it's true, and yet I have the nagging feeling it isn't."

Lector sighed. "I don't know what to believe," he admitted. "I will admit that it seems like it resolved much easier than most of our problems, and yet on the other hand, maybe some problems really would resolve easier than others."

"I would like to believe we're all too suspicious," Johnson agreed. "Caroline Mason is in the Shadow Realm and Darcy is in a Mind-Crushed coma. The ghosts here seem to be settling down. Isn't that everything?"

"Yami Marik could bring Caroline Mason out of the Shadow Realm," Gansley grunted. "It's really not such a safe place to stash trouble-makers anymore."

"Yeah, and what if that guy she liked comes looking for her and gets bent out of shape that she got put in the Shadow Realm?!" Crump exclaimed.

Nesbitt growled. "Logically speaking, we have to consider both of those possibilities," he grudgingly admitted. "But for now, I'd rather just go home anyway."

"We all would," Lector said.

"And I say let's do it," Gansley said. "But we'll just stay alert for anything else to go amiss."

Everyone agreed to that.

xxxx

It was a bittersweet Goodbye when everyone met in the lobby of the Tolliver Arms Hotel. There was hope and happiness that their enemies had been stopped and everyone was alright, but sadness at leaving and the worry that it really wasn't over.

"I really wish we could all just have a nice visit when nothing is going wrong," Evangeline lamented.

"Don't we all," Seto grunted.

"Maybe someday," Mokuba hoped, but it was hard for even the optimists in the group to believe that now.

"You're sure you're really alright?" Angelique asked Johnson in concern.

Johnson flushed in a bit of awkward embarrassment and adjusted his glasses to keep the light reflecting off of the lenses. "Yes, I'm alright," he insisted. "Anyway, I err . . . think I might recover the rest of the way better at home."

Evangeline sighed but gave a half-smile. "You're probably right. The ghosts are quiet now, but who knows. Maybe they'll start up again as soon as you all leave."

"Let's hope not." Lector hugged Evangeline close. "Be careful."

She smiled and hugged back. "You too."

"Farewell, my friends," Mako said with a collective wave to all of them. "Stay safe!"

"You too, Mako," Téa said.

"The girls'll take good care of ya," Crump said. "Who knows, maybe you'll even find out something more about your dad."

"I hope so," Mako nodded. "I'm not giving up."

"Are you still planning to explore those tunnels more?" Yugi asked in concern.

"I am not sure," Mako said. "Hopefully they are safe now that the vengeful spirit is trapped, but was she the only one?"

"Well, she's the only one we know of," Téa said.

"But bein' careful around those things sounds like a good idea to me," Joey gulped. "Who knows what else might go wrong!"

"An excellent point," Mako agreed. "I may stay away from them, at least for the time being." He paused. "Actually, it's strange that my father would have liked them so much. I would think he would feel confined and claustrophobic in such a place."

"I guess if it was the only place to get away from it all at the time, he worked with what he could get," Tristan shrugged.

"Apparently so," Mako nodded.

Everyone else said their Goodbyes as well and the group headed out to the airport and Seto's private jet. Duke had chosen to ride in a different vehicle than Tristan, and David and Serenity had gone with him.

"How long is this argument going to go on between you two?" Serenity sadly asked. She had definitely known something was wrong at breakfast, and Duke and David had finally told her. She couldn't say she was surprised, just sad. She wanted all of her loved ones to be able to get along.

Duke sighed. "I don't know. Tristan could have said something when we came down, but he didn't."

"And you didn't either," Serenity pointed out.

Duke started to twirl a piece of hair around his finger. "I don't like to say something childish like 'He started it,' but . . . he did start it. I wouldn't have blown up at him. I was only trying to respond to what he was saying about me. Maybe I shouldn't feel this way, but I'm not much in the mood to apologize right now when I feel like I was the one being put-upon."

"You were," David said.

"Well . . . you wouldn't have to make like you were taking the blame," Serenity said. "You could just say you're sorry that my choosing you had to make it harder for you two to get along. Maybe say you hope that it won't always have to be a barrier between you."

"I guess that's true," Duke relented. "I feel that way, pretty much. But the way Tristan is, saying something like that might sound patronizing to him. Plus, I've said things like that before."

"I'm sure it will work out eventually," Serenity said. "Or . . . I hope so, at least. . . ." She sighed.

"Maybe eventually," Duke said. "But I don't think it will right now."

Serenity gave a sad sigh and laced her fingers with Duke's.

xxxx

Mokuba looked out the window of Seto's jet as they took off into the sky a short time later. "I hope everything's okay back home," he said.

"Maybe it is for now, but with our luck, it probably won't be for long," Seto scowled. "And I'm not convinced we've seen the last of Darcy Broussard or Caroline Mason. Unfortunately."

Mokuba sighed. "I know. . . . There probably really will be more trouble later. But . . . maybe it will hold off for a while? I wish we could just enjoy the holidays. . . ."

Marik sighed too. "We'll probably have to take enjoyment wherever we can in between problems."

"I guess so. . . ." Mokuba turned back to face his loved ones. "I'm really glad we're all okay." He smiled. "Things could have been a lot worse. . . ."

Seto had to nod in agreement. He was certainly glad Mokuba hadn't been targeted this time, and for everyone else's sakes he was glad that there hadn't been any serious injuries. Although he wondered if Gansley was still badly shaken about yesterday. Believing a loved one dead couldn't be easy to recover from.

"So, Domino City, here we come," Téa smiled. She too was worried, but she would try to focus on the positive side of things. For now, she was just thankful they were all together.


End file.
